UFC vet previews Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira, Jose Aldo talks promotional matchmaking, Tom Aspinall sympathizes with Jon Jones: MMA News Roundup

UFC veteran Kenny Florian recently shared his preview of the Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira title fight. Elsewhere, Jose Aldo expressed his opinions on the UFC's matchmaking in his second run in the promotion, while Tom Aspinall claimed to have sympathy for Jon Jones.

Catch up with all the latest combat sports developments with Sportskeeda's MMA news roundup.

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UFC veteran predicts Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira fight

Kenny Florian believes Ilia Topuria will prove too much for Charles Oliveira to handle. The UFC veteran recently shared his thoughts on the upcoming lightweight title fight at UFC 317 and explained his prediction.

In an episode of the MMA Today show, Florian called the bout in favor of Topuria and said:

"I'm leaning the way of Ilia Topuria. I'm doing that because right now, I don't see a whole lot of guys in mixed martial arts that have mastered that inside range. I have often compared his skills, in some ways, to Canelo [Alvarez]. It's one thing to do that, but then it's another thing to be able to stop the takedowns and Ilia also has that wrestling background, which aids him in that regard. Because of that, Oliveira tends to struggle in that range."

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Jose Aldo gets honest about UFC matchmaking for his second promotional run

Jose Aldo has no complaints about the opponents he faced in his second UFC run. The featherweight legend recently discussed not getting booked against any high-profile opponents after returning from retirement and explained why he was at peace.

Speaking to MMA journalist Ariel Helwani during an interview, Aldo expressed his gratitude toward the UFC brass and said:

"No regrets... I'm only greatful and thankful to Sean [Shelby] for the matchmaking. There was always going to be a show regardless of whether they were young or up-and-coming. I was always going to be ready. I am ready, I only worry about myself and what I can do. I know I can always deliver and I was always prepared for the fights."

He continued:

"If I was getting super fights against older dudes, that means I'm not there. That means the dream of being a champ is dead. That means if I fought a guy like Dominick Cruz, maybe people would just see it like these are older dudes that are just putting the fight on for people to watch. That's outside of that dream of wanting to be a champion and training for that." [Via translator]

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Tom Aspinall gets real about Jon Jones seemingly avoiding a fight against him

Tom Aspinall recently shared his thoughts on Jon Jones seemingly ducking him and claimed to have some level of sympathy for the UFC legend. Aspinall also claimed that he was a tough opponent for Jones and understood the heavyweight champion's hesitation in accepting the title unification fight.

During a recent interview with Demetrious Johnson, Aspinall was asked if money was the cause for the delay. The Englishman replied:

''I can't say about the money stuff, I'm not sure I can say that on camera but I think I'm a bad matchup for him, to be honest, and he knows it. I honestly can see Jon’s point of view. I get it. I get it. It’s just about the title for me. I just want the title, that’s it. Nothing else really matters. So I get it completely, get his point of view, get what everybody’s saying, completely understand. I just want to prove I’m the best, that’s all.”