Charles do Bronx arriving at the arena for UFC 317. Photo: Reproduction/Twitter/UFC Brazil
Charles do Bronx opened up about the knockout he suffered against Ilia Topuria at UFC 317. In an interview with Ag Fight, the Brazilian didn't hold back on self-criticism when talking about the loss for the vacant lightweight title (up to 70,3kg). He revealed that he didn't follow the strategy planned for the fight.
"I would change everything. Not in training, but in fighting. Everything I trained, I didn't put into practice. I didn't do anything I trained for. I've been in there for so many years, I've never been knocked out like that. It's too complicated. There are so many things involved in a title fight, an opportunity. MMA is all very unpredictable. He had a lucky moment, he did his job better than me, following his strategy, and he became champion," declared Do Bronx.
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Charles detailed the combat plan that was ignored in the heat of the moment. According to him, the plan included controlling distance with front kicks and knee strikes, punching sequences to pave the way for high kicks, and constant movement to avoid close-range exchanges.
"(The strategy was) to strike and move out, step on the knees, use hand sequences to be able to kick the head. Maintain distance with my front kicks. I had trained a lot of calf kicks and knee stomps. When the fight started, I stayed very still, trying to block the blows with my hands. I managed to land a counter elbow strike. Things I should have done but didn't. If I had moved my hands, maintained distance, worked and kept my distance, trying to get in to take him down, it would have been a completely different fight," added the Brazilian.
Major trauma for Charles of the Bronx
Ilia Topuria defeated Charles Oliveira at UFC 317. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram.
The trauma for Charles do Bronx was immense. One of the biggest media phenomena in the UFC, the Brazilian had the opportunity to be the first fighter to regain the lightweight title, but he succumbed to Ilia Topuria 's striking power in the first round.
The fight was also marked by the first time that the former champion was knocked out with a single blow and 'passed out' after a strong punch from the Georgian.
New chance for Charles from the Bronx?
At 35, Do Bronx will need to get back on track for the belt. The São Paulo native has a record of 35 wins and 11 losses, plus one no-contest. He sits second in the division rankings.
At just 28 years old, Topuria is on one of the best winning streaks in the organization's history. He knocked out Alexander Volkanovski , Max Holloway , and Charles Oliveira consecutively, in addition to capturing the featherweight (up to 65,7 kg) and lightweight (up to 70,3 kg) titles in the process. To crown his good run, the Georgian was elevated to the number one position in the UFC's pound-for-pound ranking, dethroning Islam Makhachev.
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