T.J. Dillashaw, former UFC bantamweight champion, stated that Ilia Topuria was specifically chosen to face Charles Oliveira so that Ilia could beat him convincingly.
“Topuria was deliberately matched against Oliveira. This was the perfect fight for him. Charles always takes hits in every fight. He agrees to close the distance, despite his height and reach. Why didn’t this guy maintain maximum distance in the fight with Ilia? Topuria wants you to fight on his terms, at his distance, because his boxing is much better. Even if a powerful punch got through to Ilia, he would respond with even greater force. We’ve seen that already.”
