Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling recently shared his perspective on the highly anticipated matchup for the vacant lightweight championship.
It was recently announced that Charles Oliveira and Ilia Topuria are set to compete for the title belt, headlining UFC 317 scheduled for June 28th in Las Vegas, USA.
Reflecting on the fight booking, Sterling reportedly offered his analysis:
“A great fight. Ilia still has a chance to fight for the title and become a champion in two weight classes. This is interesting because Oliveira loses every fight. We know that Topuria can take apart opponents. He can take apart opponents in the featherweight division, but what will this power translate to in the lightweight category?
If he can ‘test’ Charles just like he hits everyone else, then I think Ilia is a double champion. But we haven’t seen anyone impose their wrestling game on Ilia, and I’m curious if ‘Do Bronx’ will try to do this. We’ll see if he can knock him out, that’s a big question.”
Sterling`s comments highlight the intriguing stylistic clash between the two fighters and discuss Ilia Topuria`s potential to become a two-division titleholder, while also questioning how his power will transfer to the lightweight division and whether Charles Oliveira can effectively utilize his grappling skills against him.
