Las Vegas — The UFC’s submissions leader and former lightweight champ, Charles Oliveira has a chance to reclaim his old title in the main event of UFC 317 this Saturday.
There, Oliveira (35-10, 1NC), who has said he’s no longer fighting to prove anything, will face Ilia Topuria for the title vacated by Islam Makhachev.
Yet if not fighting to prove anything, how does he approach a fight with Topuria, the former featherweight champ who remains undefeated in his professional fighting career? That, Oliveira explained during the UFC 317 media day, will be handled “the same way I’ve always done it. A guy that continues to be thirsty, a guy who’s hungry for the win. This is for my legacy, this is for my history. I’m ready for this fight.”
The obvious storyline is that of Oliveira the veteran, Topuria the rising star, the fresher fighter in terms of years. “He’s of course younger, comes in undefeated. But does he want it more than I do? Does he have more hunger and thirst than I have?” questioned Oliveira. “Hmm.”
Later, Oliveira added that while Topuria is “very young, very hungry, undefeated,” he also believes that “there’s a lot to prove still.” And while Topuria has had plenty to say about the match-up, “In reality, everyone knows what’s going to happen. It’s another dude who’s talking, who’s going to fold in front of me.”
When it comes to the talk, however, Oliveira does see to the silver lining, and doesn’t appear to be overly concerned about it. “To each their own. People sell fights in different ways, and they have different approaches not only to talking but also to fighting. And I know that depending on the way that you sell a fight and the things that you say, people are going to criticize you, and they’re never happy with it.”
“I’m not one to criticize either. Because at the end of the day, he can say the things he wants to, he can sell the fight the way he wants to. I’m making that money too, so he’s helping me sell the fight,” continued Oliveira. “I’m not one to criticize, and I do think that that’s the way to do it. I can’t, that’s not the way I operate. To each their own. People are going to sell fights differently, they’re going to say different things. It’s not my style, but people have their own ways about it.”
Watch the full UFC 317 media day appearance by Charles Oliveira above.
