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Charles Oliveira Vows Relentless Pressure Against Ilia Topuria at UFC 317: “I Am the Lion of This Division”

Charles Oliveira is on a mission to silence his critics and reclaim lightweight gold as he faces the dangerous Ilia Topuria in the main event of UFC 317 this weekend. With the vacant 155-pound title on the line, all eyes are on this electrifying matchup, and both fighters are brimming with confidence.

In the lead-up to their highly anticipated clash, Topuria—riding high after his devastating knockouts of Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway—has boldly promised to add Oliveira to his highlight reel. But the Brazilian, known as “do Bronx,” remains unfazed by the Spaniard’s threats.

Speaking to ESPN MMA, Oliveira exuded confidence and revealed his aggressive gameplan: “I had that confidence once, but I didn’t have a loss. But then you face somebody that’s not gonna walk backwards. I’m gonna push forward, I’m gonna walk forward. I’m the problem of this division. I am a lion, and I’m not gonna back down. You’re gonna see this on Saturday, on the 28th. I’m gonna go for it.”

Oliveira, who is coming off an impressive unanimous decision win, believes his relentless forward pressure will be the key to victory. He’s determined to prove that he’s still the most dangerous force in the lightweight division.

On the other side, Ilia Topuria is equally confident. In an exclusive interview with Simon Head for UFC, Topuria acknowledged Oliveira’s world-class grappling but made it clear he doesn’t expect the fight to last long.

“From the first second, he’s going to feel the speed and the power,” Topuria declared. “He’s going to start to look for the takedowns and for the ground game. But I think it’s going to be very, very quick, because I’m going to finish him in the first two or three minutes. He has done amazing things in the sport. I respect him as a sportsman. As a human being, he seems to be a nice guy. But we are going to fight. And when we are in there, nothing else matters.”

With both fighters promising fireworks and refusing to back down, UFC 317’s main event is shaping up to be an unmissable showdown. Will Oliveira’s pressure and experience prevail, or will Topuria’s knockout power claim another victim? The world will be watching as these two warriors collide for lightweight supremacy.