Ilia Topuria won Charles of the Bronx No. UFC 317. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram.
protagonist of UFC 317, Charles of the Bronx did not have a dream night when he had the opportunity to fight for the lightweight belt (up to 70,3 kg) again, seeking to regain the throne that once belonged to him. Still in the first round, the Brazilian was knocked out by Ilia Topuria and ended up losing the chance to impose himself on the Spanish-Georgian.
Weeks after the bitter episode, Do Bronx opened up and spoke about his technical error during the match, admitting that he froze while waiting for his rival's mistake.
"These are crazy things. Sometimes you train for hell, and you go up there and can't do it, and sometimes you're up there and what you had to do, you didn't do because you had to change your game. I didn't have the opportunity to do either; I didn't have the opportunity to try to do what I wanted to do or change the game up there. I just planted it, I think I waited for him to do something, which was that hand of his on top, so I could connect my punches," Charles declared to Fighting Mode TV.
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Ilia Topuria x Charles of the Bronx No. UFC 317. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram/UFC Brasil
Following his statement, the athlete surprised everyone by confessing that he considered retiring after the first knockout he suffered in his career and highlighted what motivated him to immediately change his mind.
"And to be honest, when I left, I didn't even know what had happened (due to the knockout), or anything. I sat there and after everything that had happened, I asked Diego a lot if I was going to fight or not, something I had never experienced. One of the first things I had the opportunity to say was: 'It's over, it's over for me. I think it's over.'"
"And they said I should just rest, but I didn't want to. I wanted to stay on the phone, I wanted to understand. And then came the timing of the loving embrace. There were a bunch of people crying over video: 'Just rest, you'll be back,' 'You don't need to prove anything to anyone,' 'The champion's name is still Charles Oliveira.' That kept me motivated, the night went by, and I was breathing," he concluded.
Currently ranked third in the lightweight rankings, Do Bronx still dreams of a chance to become champion again. In recent statements, the Brazilian highlighted his desire to face Max Holloway for the BMF belt next and assured that his managers are already talking to the UFC to arrange his next appearance before the end of the year.
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