The Spanish-Georgian fighter Ilia Topuria expressed confidence in his favoritism to win the lightweight championship title from the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) against Brazilian Charles Oliveira on Saturday in Las Vegas, where he will demonstrate «the next level of the game» as «the best fighter in the world.»
«I am the best fighter in the world, and it’s not a question of ‘if’ I will win, I ‘will’ win, I will knock him out in the first round. They always talk like that now, but after the fight, we know what happens,» he said at the official press conference at the T-Mobile Arena.
Topuria, the undefeated featherweight champion (16-0), aims to solidify his status with a double win against a legend like Oliveira, just as he defeated Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway before. «I enjoy it because if you beat one legend after another, you become a legend yourself,» he said, disregarding the historical rankings.
«I don’t know who’s next,» he added looking at Dana White. «We’ll see after Saturday,» responded the UFC president and press conference moderator. «It means a lot to my career to beat him. All due respect, but I do my job,» Topuria pointed out.
The Spanish-Georgian fighter was questioned about Oliveira’s comments on their striking power. «It’s impossible for him to hit harder than me, on Saturday he’ll have the chance to prove it, but I say he’ll wake up on the floor,» he concluded.
«One must trust oneself. They have to watch the fight (in Spain) because it’s one of those fights you can’t miss, and I will show the next level of the game. When they leave this stadium, their ticket will have been worth it,» he finished.
Meanwhile, Dana White recalled the UFC’s interest in going to Spain, especially now with Topuria leading the way. «We want to go to Spain, we tried before COVID and we will go as soon as possible,» he confessed, while the fighter applauded his words.
FUENTE