- UFC. An unexpected warning in the UFC: "I will be Makhachev's worst nightmare"
- UFC. Oliveira's message to Ilia Topuria: "I'm going to knock this guy out"
The fight between Ilia Topuria (16-0) and Charles Oliveira (35-10) is generating a variety of opinions about its possible outcome. There are those who think that 'El Matador' will overwhelm the Brazilian, as he has already done with other UFC legends, and there are those who think that 'Do Bronx' will spring a surprise as he has done so many times before. Paddy Pimblett (23-3), arch-enemy of the Spanish-Georgian fighter, is one of those who thinks that the weight gain could play a trick on Ilia, especially because of the size difference between the two
"10 pounds is a lot of difference, people don't understand that. Ilia might get a little scared when he sees how big Charles is in front of him," the Englishman told TNT Sports. These statements could also be influenced by the 'sco's' need to mess with Topuria whenever he has the chance, as the two have a rivalry that is far from over
10 pounds is a big difference, people don't understand
Topuria is 1.70m tall, compared to Oliveira's 1.78m, but the Spanish-Georgian fighter has already shown that he is capable of finishing bigger opponents than himself. It should be ed that Topuria fought at lightweight against Jai Herbert (1.85m) and knocked him out just as he has done with most of the opponents he has faced. In addition, Ilia has the precedent of Alexander Volkanovski, who moved up to lightweight to face Islam Makhachev on two occasions, and in the first one he was very close to beating him.
Pimblett and Topuria destined to meet
The Baddy's words are another chapter in the open war between the two, which will possibly culminate in a main event fight on a numbered card. Both fighters have repeatedly said that they want to face each other, and in Topuria's case, he has already said that if he beats Oliveira, he would like his first defense to be against Pimblett, because of what it would mean in the media.
For his part, the Liverpool fighter knows he is one win away from a title shot, and his idea is to face Justin Gaethje in late 2025. If both win, in 2026 the UFC could organize a numbered card in Europe whose success would be assured, as the number of fans who follow them would be reflected in record numbers.