Charles of the Bronx upon arrival at the arena in UFC 317. Photo: Reproduction/Twitter/UFC Brazil
Charles of the Bronx opened up about the knockout he suffered to Ilia Topuria No. UFC 317In an interview with Ag Fight, the Brazilian was self-critical when discussing his loss for the vacant lightweight belt (up to 70,3 kg). He revealed that he didn't follow the strategy outlined 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 won Charles of the Bronx No. UFC 317. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram.
The trauma stops Charles of the Bronx was great. One of the biggest media phenomena in the UFC, the Brazilian had the opportunity to be the first fighter to regain the lightweight belt, but succumbed to the power of blows from Ilia Topuria still 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 enjoying one of the best winning streaks in the organization's history. He knocked out Alexander Volkanovsky, Max Holloway e Charles of the Bronx subsequently, 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 moment, the Georgian was elevated to the first position in the UFC pound-for-pound rankings, beating Islam makhachev.
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