Charles Oliveira vows strong comeback after Ilia Topuria title loss with bold "a wounded lion is still a lion" message 

The fighting spirit in Charles Oliveira burns bright as he heads into his first bout after an unsuccessful UFC 317 campaign. 'Do Bornx' has a bold message for those who believe he is past his MMA heyday.

With a well-rounded game and unparalleled jiu-jitsu, Oliveira is one of the most devastating finishers in MMA. The Brazilian holds 20 finishes to his name, a UFC record.

Despite his well-rounded game, the former lightweight champion suffered a brutal KO loss to Ilia Topuria in their UFC 317 title clash. That setback, however, hasn't prompted the Brazilian to take a long hiatus to rest and recuperate.

The 35-year-old is set to return against striking aficionado Rafael Fiziev on Oct. 11 at UFC Rio de Janeiro. This has led many to question whether it was smart on the part of Oliveira and his team to make such a quick turnaround after the knockout loss.

During a recent interview with Ag. Fight, 'Do Bronx' addressed such criticisms, with a bold message:

"I've never been knocked out in my life. Everything in life has a first time. Unfortunately, mine arrived; I was knocked out by a tough guy. I went home sad, crying, angry. But now, truly, I'm more than ready... Listen carefully to what I'm going to tell you. A wounded lion is still a lion. And on October 11th, I'll show you all that my story isn't over. I'm more than alive, more than ready. [Translated to English via YouTube]"

Check out Charles Oliveira's comments below (17:10):

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Charles Oliveira slams lightweight elites for avoiding him

Charles Oliveira seemingly had few options for opponents other than Rafael Fiziev for UFC Rio de Janeiro. In the same interview, when 'Do Bronx' was asked whether he had a list of names to choose from to be his dance partner for Rio, the former 155-pound king went on a rant, calling out top-ranked contenders:

"Who of the top guys would come fight me in Brazil? None of them would come here to fight in Brazil. Tomorrow, when you release this little cut there, a lot of them will come and say, 'I would, I would.' But you know, in reality.. they were offered the name and they didn't even want them. So today, when you release [this clip], these guys will [go online and say] 'I wanted to, he didn't want to.' But it's a lie."

'Do Bronx' also took aim at Arman Tsarukyan and Justin Gaethje for holding out for a title shot. When the host brought up Dan Hooker as an option, he clapped back at the idea, claiming that 'The Hangman' will never sign the dotted line.