Charles Oliveira’s style concerning against Ilia Topuria

Michael Bisping cautions Charles Oliveira in his approach against Ilia Topuria at UFC 317.

Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) meets Oliveira (35-10 MMA, 23-10 UFC) for the vacant UFC lightweight title in the June 28 main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+).

Topuria, who’s coming off back-to-back knockouts of Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway in featherweight title fights, is oozing confidence ahead of his return to lightweight.

“If you ask Ilia Topuria, this is just a mere formality because he is going to touch the chin of ‘Do Bronx,’ he’s going to touch Charles, and his chin will explode,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “That is the confidence he has coming into this fight. That’s the confidence he has going into every single fight.”

Oliveira is the most prolific finisher in UFC history. While he boasts fight-ending abilities both on the feet and the ground, Bisping is worried about his defense against someone like Topuria. Oliveira has been knocked down in his title wins over Michael Chandler, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje before rallying to get the finish.

“Charles ‘Do Bronx’ Oliveira is an exciting fighter,” Bisping said. “He is one of the best in the division and one of the most exciting, but it’s the exciting style that he has that will give me cause for concern if I was coaching Charles ‘Do Bronx’ Oliveira. The way that he walks forward like a buzzsaw with reckless abandon, the not giving a damn attitude, it’s beautiful to watch. It’s very, very entertaining. Nobody will be booing when Charles Oliveira fights, but it’s that reckless style that might get him clipped. Charles Oliveira is got the most bonuses, the most finishes. The man’s excitement personified, but he takes a lot of chances.

“Ilia Topuria, on the flip side, he’s clean. He’s composed, calm, he’s in the moment. The hands are high, the base is low. The head is moving constantly and he’s looking at his opponent, he’s tracking him down across the octagon. He’s using the feet to corral him against the fence. He’s looking for openings and then he explodes, and when he explodes, we know he’s got big power. He might explode the chin of Charles Oliveira, whereas Charles Oliveira, on the flip side with the Chute Boxe style, he’s walking forward, the head’s on a straight line, and the chin’s a little up. He’s throwing knees, he’s throwing elbows, he’s throwing everything but the kitchen sink. We absolutely love it, but that’s got him in trouble before.”