Ilia Topuria delivers brutal critique of Charles Oliveira's fighting spirit: "He gives up"

Modified Apr 12, 2025 12:42 GMT

Ilia Topuria (left) gets brutally honest about Charles Oliveira's (right) fighting character. [Images courtesy: Getty Images]

Ilia Topuria recently launched a scathing assessment of Charles Oliveira and his fighting spirit after he was asked to share his thoughts on the Brazilian ahead of their rumored bout.

'El Matador' made headlines earlier this year when he announced he would be relinquishing the featherweight title in order to facilitate a move to 155 pounds. While he had been calling for a bout against the champion Islam Makhachev in the hopes of becoming a double champ, recent rumors have suggested that Topuria must beat a top contender before challenging for the belt.

Oliveira's name then came up as the Georgian-Spaniard's potential next opponent, as 'do Bronx' is also eyeing a rematch bout with Makhachev. Nothing has yet been confirmed by the UFC, however, it's believed that should the pair face off, it could feature on the International Fight Week card at the end of June.

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Should Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira face off, it doesn't appear as though the Brazilian will need much motivation. Recently, Topuria featured on the latest episode of the PBD Podcast, where he opted to question Oliveira's character.

According to Topuria, Oliveira "gives up" in a fight when he knows his opponent is stronger than he is. He said:

"I like him [Oliveira] of course, he has great ground game [but] his striking is nothing special for me. On the ground he's dangerous, he has the most submissions in UFC history. He's a dangerous guy on the ground but I think he's the kind of guy that when he feels that you are more powerful, he gives up. He gives up fast... [He's got] 10 losses, 10. It's not 1."

Check out Ilia Topuria's comments below:

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Ilia Topuria vows to submit Islam Makhachev in front of Khabib Nurmagomedov

While it's common practice for a UFC fighter to exude confidence, there is perhaps nobody currently in the promotion oozing it more than Ilia Topuria.

With his sights set on becoming the lightweight champion in 2025, 'El Matador' recently made the bold claim of not only that he would defeat Islam Makhachev but also that he would submit him whilst his coach, Khabib Nurmagomedov, watches cageside.

Speaking in the same interview on the PDB Podcast, Topuria said:

"Me, personally, I would ask him, 'What's your favorite submission?D'Arce choke? I'm gonna submit you with that.' I take him close to Khabib. I will submit him closer to Khabib... Khabib used to take people on his shoulders, take them down and talk to Dana. I will take [Makhachev] and talk to Khabib, 'Khabib, I have to do it.'"

Check out Ilia Topuria's comments below (54:40):

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Will began his tenure at Sportskeeda as an MMA writer over 2 years ago and has penned over 1800 pieces so far, including 35+ exclusives, which have garnered close to 5 million views.

Will graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Media and Communications from Bournemouth University, where he was also a valued member of their communications team. His degree heavily focused on social media and writing, which eventually led him toward sports writing.

He turned into an MMA fan after witnessing Conor McGregor’s 13-second TKO win over Jose Aldo at UFC 194 in 2015. The Irishman sits at the top of his list of top-five MMA fighters of all time, which also includes world champions like Demetrious Johnson, Michael Bisping, Max Holloway, and Georges St-Pierre.

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Edited by C. Naik