Charles Oliveira claims Ilia Topuria is the only person to ever put him out cold in an MMA fight, and therefore he deserves the distinction as the hardest hitter he’s faced after a disappointing UFC 317 title-fight loss.
Oliveira (35-11 MMA, 23-11 UFC) has shared the octagon with elite and powerful strikers in both the lightweight and featherweight divisions throughout his career. He’s never tasted defeat quite like the way Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) flattened him less than three minutes into the opening round of their vacant 155-pound championship clash.
“Ilia is definitely the hardest hitter (I’ve ever faced),” Oliveira told Ag.Fight. “He’s the one who hit me the hardest. There’s no denying it. I’ve taken really hard hits from guys like Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler that only ended in a knockdown.
“I’ve never been knocked out before. I’ve been knocked down by punches, but this time I got knocked out. It was something new for me. I didn’t know what had happened.”
Less than two weeks after UFC 317, Oliveira is still sorting through the emotions and aftermath of a difficult result.
It’s not so much that he didn’t get his hand raised, Oliveira said, but more so that he failed to execute any element of his game plan.
“I would change everything,” Oliveira said. “Not in my training camp, but in the fight. Everything I trained, I didn’t put into practice. I didn’t do anything I trained. He implemented his strategy and became champion. In reality, (the strategy) was to hit and get out, step on his knees, use hand sequences to be able to kick high to the head, maintain distance with my front kicks. I had trained a lot of calf kicks, a lot of knee stomps, not standing still. And then the fight started, I stood still, taking blows.
“There are things I should have done, but didn’t. … That’s what frustrates me the most. Having trained so hard for something and not having done it in the fight.”
At 35, Oliveira’s defeat to Topuria raised questions about his future and whether his championship trajectory is over. He doesn’t plan to sulk for much longer, however, and wants to get right back to work.
Oliveira said he has his eye on a matchup with BMF champ Max Holloway (26-8 MMA, 22-8 UFC), who serves as the retirement-fight opponent for Dustin Poirier at UFC 318 on July 19 in New Orleans.
“(Holloway) will fight in July, I fought in June – I think November would be the time,” Oliveira said. “It would be a great fight. He said he would fight too, so why not?”
