Sean O'Malley issues final preview for Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira at UFC 317: "Charles does get hit"

Sean O'Malley offered his thoughts on the upcoming matchup between Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title at UFC 317. O'Malley highlighted both fighters' abilities inside the octagon, while voicing his excitement.

There is a lot at stake for Topuria and Oliveira in the main event of UFC 317. The Georgian-Spaniard gave up his featherweight title earlier this year to pursue his dream of being a double champion. Meanwhile, the Brazilian hopes to become a two-time champion by beating Topuria. The pay-per-view will be held on June 28 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Ahead of the 155-pound title fight, O'Malley told MMA journalist Shakiel Mahjouri:

''That's the one where your heart's telling you Charles, your brain says Ilia. Can't count Charles out, Ilia's on absolute tear. Charles does get hit, Ilia cracks. That fight I'm very excited for.''

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Check Sean O'Malley's comments below (via Red Corner's X post):

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As O'Malley mentioned, Topuria is on an impressive run. Last year, he displayed his confidence and dethroned Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 via a devastating second round knockout victory. The Spaniard then faced former champion Max Holloway in his maiden title defense at UFC 308 and became the first fighter to knock out the Hawaiian.

Meanwhile, Oliveira got back in title contention after securing a unanimous decision win over Michael Chandler at UFC 309.

Former UFC fighter backs Sean O'Malley to dethrone Merab Dvalishvili

Sean O'Malley will challenge Merab Dvalishvili for the bantamweight title in the main event of UFC 316 this weekend. In their first encounter at Noche UFC 306 last year, O'Malley lost his belt to Dvalishvili via unanimous decision.

Ahead of their matchup, former UFC fighter Dan Hardy posted a video on his YouTube channel discussing what O'Malley could do to defeat Dvalishvili. Hardy highlighted the usage of kicks by 'Suga', saying:

''The obvious target for Merab is his midsection. I think O’Malley realized there was another route to victory other than landing a clean punch on the chin, and that was damaging his body. That’s where Sean O’Malley needs to be proactive. Front kicks to the midsection are gonna be the obvious way for Sean O’Malley... I feel like O’Malley might steal this one with something clean as Merab is overextending himself.”

Check out Dan Hardy's comments below (9:55):

About the author

Swagat is a dynamic MMA writer with a total experience of a little less than a year, which includes time in retail and sports journalism. He holds an MBA degree.

Swagat fell in love with the sport after watching the iconic grudge match between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier at UFC 182 in early 2015. Nate Diaz holds a special place in his heart for the Stockton native’s entertaining fan-friendly style and ability to deliver exciting fights regardless of the opponent.

In terms of rule changes in MMA, Swagat advocates for making scores public after each round, adding transparency to judging decisions.

Swagat prioritizes accuracy and relevance while writing and conducts thorough research to ensure the content is fresh and reliable.

He enjoys playing football and painting during his free time.

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Edited by Swagat Kumar Jena