Having suffered a knockout loss to Ilia Topuria himself, former champion Alexander Volkanovski offers a unique perspective on the upcoming main event at UFC 317 between Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira.
At UFC 298, Ilia Topuria defeated Volkanovski in the second round via knockout, claiming the UFC Featherweight championship in the process.
Topuria subsequently vacated his featherweight title to move up to the Lightweight division, where he is set to challenge for the vacant championship.
His opponent will be Charles Oliveira. Volkanovski anticipates this fight will be a quick and decisive one, ending abruptly.
Alexander Volkanovski Leans Towards Early Finish for Ilia Topuria at UFC 317
Volkanovski believes Topuria possesses the tools to overwhelm Oliveira at UFC 317. The former champion stated that Topuria`s aggression and forward pressure make him extremely dangerous.
“He’s just so aggressive. He’s going to take a lot of risks, he’s in your face, he comes forward,” Volkanovski commented on Topuria`s style. He added, “It’s like, yeah, you can hit him, but something’s going to be coming at you as well — and they’re always dangerous guys.”
Reflecting on his own experience, Volkanovski noted, “Especially for me, the only way I’m losing is I’m getting caught. And you’ve got someone who’s one of the most dangerous grapplers and most dangerous strikers.” He concluded, “He’s dangerous everywhere. So you’ve got to go in there and respect that.”
Ultimately, Volkanovski favors Ilia Topuria to win, specifically predicting: “I think Ilia can catch him. I reckon early knockout. Early knockout for Ilia Topuria.”
Ilia Topuria`s History of Early Finishes in the UFC
Predicting an early finish for Topuria is a reasonable expectation given his track record.
Since making his promotional debut in 2020, the fighter has gone the distance just once in his UFC career.
| Opponent | Event | Finish | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max Holloway | UFC 308 | Knockout | 3 |
| Alexander Volkanovski | UFC 298 | Knockout | 2 |
| Josh Emmett | UFC on ABC: Emmett vs Topuria | Unanimous Decision | 5 |
| Bryce Mitchell | UFC 282 | Submission | 2 |
| Jai Herbert | UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs Aspinall | Knockout | 2 |
| Ryan Hall | UFC 264 | Knockout | 1 |
| Damon Jackson | UFC on ESPN: Hermansson vs Vettori | Knockout | 1 |
| Yousseff Zalal | UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs Sandhagen | Unanimous Decision | 3 |
That single decision win was a unanimous victory over Josh Emmett in 2023, a fight that earned him a Fight of the Night bonus and positioned him for the title shot against Volkanovski.
That championship bout ended with a second-round knockout. Notably, five of Topuria`s eight UFC victories have concluded in the early rounds.
Based on this history and Volkanovski`s analysis, Charles Oliveira faces a significant challenge at UFC 317.
