Former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira has been suggested as a potential opponent to welcome Ilia Topuria to the division after he vacated the featherweight title to move up in weight, but the Brazilian star isn’t keen on the idea.
“I think there are a lot of things,” Oliveira told ABC MMA. “A lot of people are saying a lot of things. But I’m looking for a title, and today’s champion is Islam Makhachev. So, Topuria is a very tough guy. He deserves all the respect in the world.
“But right now, I don’t see it as a big fight. And if I’m looking for a title, well, I have to fight Makhachev in order to win and become champion again.”
Topuria appears to have not taken too kindly to being overlooked by Olivera and has since issued a fiery response.
“Charles, it’s better if you stay quiet. You have 10 losses: 5 by knockout, 4 by submission, and 1 by decision,” Topuria wrote on X. “You are the contender, while I am the champion, the father of the entire division. I haven’t come here to ask anything. Here, I am the one in charge.“
The undefeated Topuria is certainly one of the most talked about stars in the sport at the moment after winning all eight of his UFC fights so far, including back-to-back KO victories over featherweight legends Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway last year.
That being said, while his recent form has been a bit patchy, Oliveira still has an envious list of accomplishments during his UFC career that Topuria can’t yet match, including holding the record for the most finishes, submissions and post-fight bonuses in UFC history, and only being a few years removed from an 11-fight winning streak.
So there’s some gamesmanship on both sides here in regards to their recent comments, but there’s no doubt that a fight between them to settle their differences would certainly be a mouth-watering prospect.
