Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira may come down to who is the better grappler.
The vacant lightweight title of Islam Makhachev is on the line in the main event of UFC 317 this Saturday. Ilia Topuria, an unbeaten former champion at featherweight and increases a weight class to record the former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira.
Topuria vs. Oliveira is one of the most expected matchups of the year, with the knockout power of Topuria at Play vs. Oliveira, the most productive submission artist in the history of UFC.
Oliveira does not seem to worry about the KO threat of Topuria. The beloved Brazilian believes that he is getting harder than the old featherweight Topuria.
Days of the fight is Topuria supported to beat Oliveira by a top 10 lightweight.
Photo by Jordan Jones/Getty Images
Beneil Dariush Picks Ilia Topuria above Charles Oliveira on UFC 317
Once at the point of a lightweight title shot, Beneil Dariush shared the Octagon with Oliveira on UFC 289 in 2023, where he lost through the first round of TKO.
The former top-3 mededist has felt the power of Oliveira first hand, but Dariush is still in favor of Topuria because of his boxing and background in Greek-Roman struggling, thinking that the fight could hit the canvas.
“I tend to Ilia, but it's not much,” Dariush told Mike Owens of Inside Fighting.
“I think Charles has a really good chance with his strength, with his counterfeits. If he uses his entire arsenal, he is a very difficult big guy to deal with.
“I would say that Ilia has great strength, and I think that in terms of wrestling, I would probably say that Ilia is probably the better wrestler,” Dariush added.
“So I think that is where this fight can be decided – who is the better grappler.”
16 of the 23 UFC victories of Oliveira came through submission.
Regardless of his praises, Topuria has claimed that he can finish the fight wherever he wants, willing to go to the ground with the legendary submission artist.
Charles Oliveira has been submitted four times in his UFC career
Although Oliveira may have the most entries in the UFC history, that makes the former champion not impenetrable to get trapped in entries themselves.
In a title fight from 2022, Oliveira drew on an arm-triangle choke against Islam Makhachev, his fourth entry defeat in the Octagon.
Oliveira was first submitted in his UFC/MMA career when Jim Miller tapped him in 2010 with a Knebar.
In 2016, 'DO Bronx' received back-to-back entries to former champion Anthony Pettis and Ricardo Lamas, who lost both fights from Guillotine Choke.
If we take on the in credential Ilia Topuria, who won his first seven fights through the entry, we will see who comes at the top when the fight hits the ground between Oliveira and Topuria on UFC 317.