Move over, Shavkat. Laura Sanko found a new UFC star to swoon over.
After dominating the featherweight division with highlight-reel knockouts against the likes of Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway, Ilia Topuria is ready for a new challenge. On Saturday night, June 28, he’ll get exactly that.
Emanating from the familiar confines of T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, UFC 317 will see Topuria make his lightweight debut for a clash with Charles Oliveira, the winner leaving as the new 155-pound champion.
Throughout Topuria’s unblemished run inside the Octagon, ‘El Matador’ has strung together a series of jaw-dropping finishes, a trend he looks to continue in ‘Sin City’ this weekend. But Sanko believes we should be wary of getting caught up in the “sexiness” of Topuria’s knockout power after fighters like Bryce Mitchell found some success against the undefeated Georgian sensation.
“If you look back at Ilia’s fights, it’s so easy to get swept up in the sexiness of his finishes,” Sanko said on ONE on ONE. “Listen, a lot of what this guy does is absolutely gorgeous. But there are moments that you can think about where you’re like, ‘You know what, if it was Charles Oliveira doing this to him, like the Bryce Mitchell fight, Bryce takes him down and Bryce got some good shots on him on the feet as well.
“If this was Charles Oliveira, I think he would be in some big trouble here.”
Can Ilia Topuria finish the UFC’s most prolific finisher?
Though much has been said about Topuria’s ability to take out some of the biggest names in the game, there is no bigger finisher inside the Octagon than Oliveira.
‘Do Bronx’ has put away 20 of his 23 opponents under the UFC banner, including 16 submissions and four knockouts. Along the way, he’s stopped Jeremy Stephens, Clay Guida, Jim Miller, Kevin Lee, Michael Chandler, Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje, and many more.
With both Topuria and Oliveira known for their ability to end things inside the distance, clearly something’s got to give when they headline a loaded International Fight Week card.
