Ilia Topuria expects first round KO win over Charles Oliveira at UFC 317: ‘He has no mobility’

Former undisputed featherweight champion, Ilia Topuria has laid out his expectations for his showdown with Charles Oliveira at the end of this month at UFC 317 — vowing to knock out the Brazilian in the opening round.

Topuria, a former titleholder at the featherweight limit, will compete for the soon-to-be vacant lightweight title during International Fight Week later this month.

Set to fight former champion, Oliveira in the pair’s highly-anticipated pairing, Topuria remains massively confident of taking out the Sao Paulo fan-favorite when they eventually share the Octagon.

But the Brazilian is also supremely confident of landing the lightweight crown the second time in his promotional stint, himselgf vowing to take out Topuria early in their hotly-contested showdown.

“He (Topuria) is coming from featherweight, so he has to respect the lightweights,” Charles Oliveira told Full Violence. “[I hit harder than Ilia] for sure.”

“It’s a great fight, he’s a great fighter,” Charles Oliveira said. “But I don’t need to prove anything to anyone about who I am. This fight came at a huge opportunity. I will knock out this guy. That’s for real.”

Ilia Topuria promises first round KO win over Charles Oliveira

But as far as Topuria is concerned, Oliveira is tailor-made for a staggering knockout loss — questioning the former gold holder’s movement and mobility.

“Charles (Oliveira) is a great fighter,” Ilia Topuria told ESPNDeportes. “I’d say he’s a legendary fighter, one of the few still active in the UFC. But the truth is that his style fits perfectly with mine, to put him to sleep in the first round because he has no mobility, he doesn’t move.”