Featherweight contender Jean Silva has publicly offered his services to former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira as “Do Bronx” prepares for his upcoming fight against Ilia Topuria. The highly anticipated bout for the vacant UFC lightweight title is scheduled for UFC 317 on June 28th in Las Vegas.
Silva believes he possesses the unique ability to perfectly mimic Ilia Topuria`s fighting style, which could prove invaluable to Oliveira`s preparation. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Silva expressed confidence in his capability to replicate “El Matador`s” movements and tendencies.
“I did better than you,” Silva stated, drawing comparisons between his own performances and Topuria`s. “Topuria fought Bryce Mitchell and it was a fight. He got hit, he got dizzy… My fights, honestly, there was no fight. Not because they suck, but because I study a lot.” He asserted that his knowledge comes directly from analyzing Topuria`s previous bouts. “If he wants to know where I got that from, why I say I can mimic him, it`s from his fights… I`m doing that with Topuria. So yes, I can do everything he does.”
Silva went into detail regarding specific technical vulnerabilities he has observed in Topuria`s game. He noted Topuria`s footwork and how his powerful hooks can sometimes lead to him over-rotating and exposing his back, citing the Bryce Mitchell fight as an example where this occurred multiple times.
While acknowledging Topuria`s impressive undefeated record of 16-0, including his championship victory over Alexander Volkanovski, Silva feels that Charles Oliveira at his absolute best is capable of defeating anyone, including Topuria. He sees Topuria`s unblemished record contributing to an aura of invincibility, which is a significant advantage for “El Matador.”
“Topuria doesn’t believe he can lose, and that alone is a good advantage for him,” Silva commented. However, he believes that if Oliveira brings the performance level he showed against Michael Chandler, he won`t necessarily need assistance, but having someone like Silva available provides an additional strategic advantage. “Why not use all the weapons he has around him? I’m one of those.”
When asked why he doesn`t incorporate Topuria`s style into his own fights if he can mimic it so well, Silva`s answer was straightforward: “Because I`m better than you. That’s why I haven’t done [the same]… I did better than him.”
Silva also pointed to Topuria`s past lightweight fight against Jai Herbert in March 2022, where Topuria suffered a brief knockdown. Silva analyzed the sequence, explaining that Topuria became vulnerable after throwing a right overhand followed by a wide left hook. He claims that both instances where Topuria has been dropped in his career stemmed from similar mistakes. According to Silva, this detailed study of Topuria`s fights confirms his ability to replicate his opponent`s tendencies for Oliveira`s benefit.
