Ilia Topuria takes swipe at Charles Oliveira ahead of UFC 317 clash

Former UFC featherweight kingpin Ilia Topuria has a message for Charles Oliveira ahead of their lightweight clash at UFC 317 for the 155-pound strap, vacated by Islam Makhachev in pursuit of welterweight gold.

In the lead-up to the fight, 'El Matador' has constantly warned the Brazilian and has assured fans that he will knock him out. Oliveira will not be taking this fight lightly because the Georgian-Spaniard's earlier forecasts that he would knockout Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski did come to pass.

Just a few weeks before the fight, Topuria posted a new sparring video, demonstrating his grappling and striking prowess. He wrote a note to Oliveira in the caption, requesting that 'Do Bronxs' bring "the pillow" since he intends to put him to sleep violently. Topuria quipped:

"Don't forget to bring the pillow, @CharlesDoBronxs"

Check out Ilia Topuria's post below:

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Charles Oliveira considers himself a harder hitter than Ilia Topuria

Even though Ilia Topuria's striking cannot be undermined, Charles Oliveira thinks he has more power in his hands and strikes more effectively. In a recent interview with Full Violence, Oliveira accepted that Topuria is a tough fighter, but the latter needs to respect lightweights.

"[Topuria's] He's a tough guy, like I said. He's coming from the lower division, so you have to respect the lightweights."

When asked by the interviewer if he thinks he hits harder than Topuria, Oliveira quipped:

"For sure."

Check out Charles Oliveira's comments below:

Despite being regarded as the promotion's top submission artist, 'Do Bronxs' has also performed well against several hard hitters, including Dustin Poirier, Tony Ferguson, Michael Chandler, Justin Gaethje, and others.

Fans haven't seen Topuria's ground game or his ability to perform against someone like Oliveira, which makes Oliveira vs. Topuria an intriguing and distinct matchup in terms of style.