Topuria vs Oliveira Prediction
🔊 Who will emerge as the new UFC lightweight champion? Division kingpin Islam Makhachev has moved up to welterweight, leaving the title vacant. On June 29 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, two of the organization's top stars, Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira, will battle it out for the belt. The Brazilian has long been a staple in the lightweight division and was once its champion, while the Spanish-Georgian is moving up from featherweight in pursuit of a second title. Bookmakers are skeptical about the veteran's chances. Is "Do Bronx" truly without hope? Scores24 editorial team offers their prediction for one of the year's most anticipated bouts.
Interesting Facts
- Ilia Topuria is the first Georgian to earn a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
- Charles Oliveira boasts 23 wins in the UFC, the second-highest in the organization's history after Jim Miller (27), whom he defeated in 2018.
- Ilia Topuria has scored a knockdown in 6 out of his 8 UFC fights, while he has only been knocked down once himself.
- Charles Oliveira leads in both the number of finishes (20) and bonuses (20) in UFC history.
H2H Stats Fights and Previous Results
Ilia Topuria Player Overview
"El Matador" is currently the most buzzed-about fighter in the UFC, without exaggeration. He is rapidly gaining popularity while maintaining an undefeated record in the octagon. Ilia began his professional career in 2015 and has already fought 16 bouts, winning each one. The Georgian likely boasts the best boxing skills in the organization and holds a black belt in BJJ, making him a top-tier all-rounder.
Topuria truly made his mark last February when he stepped into a featherweight title fight against Alex Volkanovski. He promised to take down the Australian and did so in spectacular fashion, finishing the former P4P king in the second round. Ilia defended his title against the equally legendary Max Holloway, vowing to be the first to knock him out. Naturally, he delivered on this promise, after which he decided to move up in weight, tired of cutting to 66 kg.
Match Results: Ilia Topuria
Charles Oliveira Player Overview
The Brazilian is a true UFC veteran. Competing in the organization since 2010, he has made his mark in the featherweight and lightweight divisions. It seemed that Charles had no title prospects, but in 2018, he suddenly stopped alternating wins with losses, delivering a streak of nine consecutive victories. This run earned "Do Bronx" a title shot, where he knocked out Michael Chandler. He then successfully defended his title against Dustin Poirier, but the second defense was not meant to be. Oliveira failed to make weight and was stripped of the title, despite defeating Justin Gaethje.
Charlie’s main weapon is his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. His skills are out of this world, so most opponents, when they stagger Oliveira, are reluctant to go to the ground, knowing it would play into the Brazilian's hands. However, there are exceptions. For instance, Islam Makhachev confidently dismantled Charles in their bout for the vacant title in October 2022, securing a triangle choke. Since then, Oliveira’s record has been inconsistent. In his latest fight, the Brazilian defeated a significantly diminished Michael Chandler.
Match Results: Charles Oliveira
Latest news
Ilia Topuria
Ilia Topuria's thoughts on the upcoming fight:
"From the first seconds of the bout, he'll feel my speed and power. Charles will try to take it to the ground. But it will end too quickly because I plan to finish him in the first two or three minutes. Oliveira has achieved remarkable feats in MMA. I respect him as a fighter. And as a person, he seems like a good guy. But we're going to fight. So I'm going all in."
"Charles simply won't be able to move forward. That's always the case when facing me. He'll try, but he'll quickly backtrack. He'll take a couple of shots to the face and immediately go for the ground. After that, you'll see the finish. And it will happen very fast."
"Charles thinks he has a chance, but he really doesn't. He just needs to step into the cage, and I'll take care of the rest. He'll be finished in the first round."
Charles Oliveira
Charles Oliveira's Opinion:
"Ilia is moving up from featherweight, so he needs to respect the lightweight fighters. I hit harder than he does. There's no doubt about that."
"I'm going to push forward. I'll put pressure on him. I'm a problem for this division. A lion that won't back down. You'll see that on Saturday. I'm going out there to take what's mine."
"Ilia says he'll knock me out in the first round? Yeah, sure, I'll just stand still so he can do that. My take is this - we're two very dangerous fighters, two guys with eyes on the future. So it's going to be a great fight, one I'll approach with full respect for my opponent. My goal is to have my hand raised in the end."
Editor's Prediction
This matchup is highly anticipated, yet we believe it lacks real intrigue. On one side, there's a veteran who has already achieved everything and seen it all in the game; on the other, a young and hungry fighter on the rise. While Charles remains dangerous, it's hard to imagine what he can offer against an elite representative of the new school.
Despite the size difference, Ilia is clearly stronger in striking, and his wrestling skills should be sufficient to prevent Oliveira from taking the fight to the ground. The Brazilian absorbs a lot of hits, and against a knockout artist like Topuria, any punch could be decisive.
Almost all UFC stars, including the aforementioned Alex Volkanovski and Dustin Poirier, see Topuria as the clear favorite, and our editorial team shares this view. It seems likely that the Georgian's record will soon include another fallen legend. We predict Ilia will dismantle the Brazilian within ten minutes, so we're betting that the fight won't reach the third round.
