Former UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw has stated his belief that Ilia Topuria was specifically matched against Charles Oliveira to ensure a decisive victory for Topuria.
“Topuria was intentionally paired with Oliveira. This was the perfect fight for him,” Dillashaw commented. He elaborated, “Charles consistently absorbs punches in his fights. He is willing to close the distance, despite having height and reach advantages. Why did he not try to maintain maximum distance against Ilia? Topuria wants you to fight according to his terms, at his range, because his boxing is significantly better.”
Dillashaw added, “Even if Ilia were to be hit by a powerful shot, he would likely retaliate with even greater force. We have witnessed this tendency from him previously.”
