Losing hurts, especially when it happens on the biggest stage. Charles Oliveira knows that feeling all too well after his UFC 317 title fight against Ilia Topuria. The Brazilian entered that bout as a former lightweight champion with the most finishes in UFC history. But on that night, Topuria knocked him out cold in the first round at just 2:27 into the fight.
It was a stunning result that shifted the entire lightweight division’s landscape. Topuria became the new champion while Oliveira had to deal with the painful reality of a devastating knockout loss. Now, months removed from that defeat, Charles Oliveira gives an honest review of what went wrong in his title fight against Ilia Topuria.
In a video posted on IG account limaricardo 1, ‘Do Bronx’ opened up about the mistakes he made and the flawed game plan that led to his downfall. Oliveira didn’t make excuses or blame anyone else. He looked in the mirror and admitted his approach was fundamentally wrong from the start.
“I was stupid… what was I thinking? I’ll take him down and put my hands on him. I did throw my hands. But he landed first. So I was stupid.”
He explained that his plan was to take Topuria down and put his hands on him. The idea made sense in theory:pressure Topuria, threaten with takedowns, and land strikes while mixing in grappling threats. But the execution failed spectacularly because Oliveira underestimated Topuria’s power and timing.
After a brief grappling exchange where Topuria escaped from a dangerous position, both fighters stood up and began throwing strikes. Oliveira (36-11-0-1NC) committed to his hands and tried to land combinations. However, Topuria’s timing was perfect. He connected with a powerful right hand followed by a devastating left hook that shut Oliveira’s lights out immediately. The Brazilian never saw it coming because he was too focused on landing his own shots rather than respecting Topuria’s knockout power.
Looking back, Oliveira’s mistake was trying to beat Topuria at his own game. ‘El Matador’ is one of the best pure strikers in the entire UFC with legitimate one-punch knockout power. He had already proven that by knocking out Alexander Volkanovski and the iron chinned Max Holloway.
Oliveira should have stuck to what made him so successful throughout his career: relentless grappling pressure, submission threats, and volume striking from safer positions. Instead, he got overconfident in his hands and believed he could stand and trade with a world-class boxer.
That confidence cost him everything. His extensive Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu background and submission skills should have been the foundation of his game plan. Taking Topuria down repeatedly, wearing him out, threatening submissions, and only striking when necessary would have given Oliveira much better chances. But hindsight is always clearer than the moment, and fighters sometimes make emotional decisions rather than strategic ones.
(Image Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie – Imagn Images)
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