"Ilia looks terrified," "Emotional Charles is dangeroussss af" - Fans react as Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira face-off ahead of UFC 317

MMA fans have reacted to the face-off between Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira ahead of their headliner bout at UFC 317 this weekend.

Topuria vacated his 145-pound title and is now set to face former UFC lightweight kingpin Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title. The Georgian-Spaniard comes into this bout on the back of a knockout victory over Max Holloway. On the flip side, Oliveira won via unanimous decision against Michael Chandler in his last outing.

The build-up to this bout has been intense. Topuria believes that he will dispose of 'do Bronx' in the first round, whereas Oliveira has promised his son that he will emerge victorious this weekend.

Topuria and Oliveira shared a light-hearted exchange during the UFC 317 press conference, which ended with a respectful face-off. In that moment, Topuria told the Brazilian he hadn't wanted his next opponent to be him, to which Oliveira calmly replied, assuring ‘El Matador’ that it would be a great fight.

Check out the Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira face-off below:

The post sparked several fan reactions. One user predicted a "brutal" knockout for 'Do Bronx,' writing:

"Ilia looks terrified. I think Charles beats him by brutal KO."

Fan's reaction. [Screenshot courtesy: @ChampRDS on X]

Another fan commented:

"Emotional Charles is dangeroussss af, but… 🐂"

Fan's reaction. [Screenshot courtesy: @ChampRDS on X]

Others commented:

"As much as I like Charles, I just don't see Topuria losing."

"My heart can't take this."

"Damn, why do we have to see them fight? I mess with both."

"Charles can't dodge a hook to save his life. He'd better bring a pillow."

Check out more fan reactions below:

Fan reactions. [Screenshots courtesy: @ChampRDS on X]

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Max Holloway expects fireworks early in Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira title fight at UFC 317

Former UFC featherweight kingpin Max Holloway has weighed in on the UFC 317 main event between Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira.

Holloway has fought both fighters in the past. He secured a first-round victory against Oliveira in 2015 but suffered a knockout loss against Topuria in his last outing. 'Blessed' stated on his YouTube channel that he believes the UFC 317 headliner will be decided in the early minutes of the battle. He said:

"From my perspective, this fight is going to be decided in the first three or four minutes of the first round. If Ilia gets a finish or a knockout, it wouldn’t surprise me. If Charles wins with a submission or even a knockout finish of his own, it doesn’t surprise me."

Holloway added:

"If I was a betting man, on this fight, and Charles Oliveira is the underdog, I mean, Charles Oliveira is one of the best fighters in the world as an underdog. That's all I'm saying."

Check out Max Holloway's comments about Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira below (13:06):