"I am a lion" - Charles Oliveira details bold gameplan for Ilia Topuria fight at UFC 317 despite "first-round finish" threat

Charles Oliveira is ready to prove his critics wrong when he faces Ilia Topuria at UFC 317. Oliveira opened up about his gameplan against Topuria, who intends to display his knockout prowess in their upcoming lightweight matchup.

Oliveira has the opportunity to become a two-time lightweight champion when he takes on Topuria for the vacant 155-pound belt in the main event of UFC 317 this weekend. In the buildup to their highly anticipated contest, the Spaniard has been vocal about delivering a knockout victory against Oliveira. However, the former champion isn't concerned about Topuria's threats.

In a recent interview with ESPN MMA, 'do Bronx' expressed belief in his abilities and plans to put pressure on Topuria by moving forward inside the cage.

''I had that confidence once, but I didn't have a loss. But then you face somebody that's not gonna walk backwards. I'm gonna push forward, I'm gonna walk forward. I'm the problem of this division. I am a lion, and I'm not gonna back down. You're gonna see this on Saturday, on 28th. I'm gonna go for it.''

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Check out Charles Oliveira's comments below:

It is to be noted that Topuria has delivered on his promises as evidenced by his knockout wins over Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway at UFC 298 and UFC 308 respectively last year. He is planning to do the same against Oliveira, who is coming off an impressive unanimous decision victory against Michael Chandler in their rematch at UFC 309.

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Ilia Topuria lays out his strategy against Charles Oliveira

Ilia Topuria is ready to let go of his hands when he faces former champion Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 this Saturday.

In a recent exclusive interview with Simon Head for ufc.com, Topuria acknowledged Oliveira's grappling prowess but claimed that the Brazilian would be unsuccessful. The former featherweight champion said that he will secure a quick knockout win.

''From the first second, he’s [Charles Oliveira] going to feel the speed and the power. He’s going to start to look for the takedowns and for the ground game. But I think that it’s going to be very, very quick, because I’m going to finish him in the first two or three minutes. He has done amazing things in the sport. I respect him as a sportsman. As a human being, he seems to be a nice guy. But we are going to fight. And when we are competing with each other, I go all in. Just be careful!” [H/t: ufc.com]

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Edited by Swagat Kumar Jena