UFC 317 goes down on Saturday night in Las Vegas, and all eyes are on the main event: a lightweight title fight between Spain’s Ilia Topuria and Brazil’s Charles Oliveira.
The UFC lightweight title is currently vacant, after long-time champion Islam Makhachev left the division to chase the welterweight belt. Topuria recently underwent a nearly identical situation, having vacated the featherweight belt to move up to lightweight. He was hoping to fight Makhachev for the lightweight belt, but with the Russian leaving the division, the Spaniard was matched up with former champ Oliveira to crown a new king instead. It’s an incredible matchup, and a toss-up, according to one expert.
On Thursday night, the two UFC 317 headliners faced off at the card’s pre-fight press conference. As they came face to face, they shared an intense conversation, during which Topuria actually expressed regret that they had to fight.
See their exchange below, and a translation of what they were saying, via Championship Rounds.
Charles Oliveira and Ilia Topuria come face-to-face ahead of UFC 317
What Ilia Topuria said to Charles Oliveira during their face off:
Topuria: “I’m sorry. I didn’t want it to be against you.
Oliveira: “Don’t worry, it’s going to be a great fight.”
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Topuria: “Of course. I’ve already won. The victory is mine.”
Needless to say, there is a lot of respect—and a lot of confidence—between the two UFC 317 headliners. The card will be available on ESPN+ pay-per-view.
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