Max Holloway believes fight fans should not write off Charles Oliveira when he faces Ilia Topuria at UFC 317.
Oliveira and Topuria are scheduled to headline UFC 317 this Saturday, vying for the vacant lightweight championship. This bout presents Topuria with a chance to become only the tenth fighter in UFC history to hold titles in multiple divisions. For Oliveira, victory would mark a historic first: regaining the lightweight title after previously holding it. While betting odds heavily favor “El Matador” Topuria over “Do Bronx,” Holloway, having shared the octagon with both competitors, suggests it`s premature to dismiss Oliveira`s prospects.
Sharing his thoughts on his YouTube channel, Holloway remarked, “This should be a fun one… I got to share the octagon with the two of these men… This fight is going to be super fun.” He pointed out the common tendency to overlook Oliveira, saying, “A lot of people are counting Charles Oliveira out, which kind of, you guys don’t learn your lesson. You can’t count this man out. This man always finds a way to somehow win.”
Holloway delved deeper into the potential dynamics of the fight: “What I see happening is — Charles likes getting hit… when Ilia hits people, we all see what happens.” He highlighted the crucial unknown element: “So, the thing is, with this fight, the real big question mark is, that first shot that Ilia lands, is it going to put him away? … That is the biggest question here.” He questioned whether Oliveira could absorb Topuria`s power or if a “wounded Charles” would manage to recover and find a path to victory, potentially a finish.
Holloway`s previous encounters with Topuria and Oliveira were both at featherweight, though separated by nearly a decade. He secured a TKO win against Oliveira in 2015 (due to injury) and suffered a TKO loss to Topuria in their 2023 title fight at UFC 308. Having faced both men, Holloway possesses a unique understanding of their respective strengths and dangers.
Regarding predictions, Holloway stated, “If Ilia gets a finish or a knockout, it wouldn’t surprise me. But if Charles wins with either a submission or a finish of his own, even a knockout finish of his own, it doesn’t surprise me.” He described the fight as “super up in the air” and reiterated that Oliveira often performs best when viewed as the underdog. “I don’t know how many times we’ve counted this man out and he somehow found a way to win,” Holloway added.
He speculated that the outcome might be decided swiftly: “From my perspective, this fight will be decided probably in the first three minutes, four minutes of this fight. Because Oliveira is going to get touched, and is Ilia going to touch him with something that puts him out cold, or will it hurt him and he finds a way to fight back? That’s the main thing with this fight.”
Offering advice from a betting standpoint, Holloway concluded, “If I was a betting man, on this fight, and Charles Oliveira is the underdog, Charles Oliveira is one of the best fighters in the world to put money on as an underdog. That’s all I’m saying.” He clarified that he wasn`t making a definitive pick but would not be surprised by a knockout win for either Topuria or Oliveira securing a finish of his own.
