Diego Lopes admits that Topuria's knockout of Do Bronx was predictable: 'we need to be impartial'

Ilia Topuria won Charles of the Bronx No. UFC 317. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram.

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Underdog at the bookmakers for the UFC 317, Charles of the Bronx ended up not being able to impose himself on Ilia Topuria and was brutally knocked out in Las Vegas. Despite expressing confidence in reclaiming the belt, the Brazilian could not withstand his rival's power and wasted the opportunity to become lightweight champion (up to 70,3 kg).

Keeping an eye on the fight, Diego lopes He was sincere when talking about his compatriot's delicate moment and admitted that a setback was predictable, due to the skill displayed by the Spanish-Georgian. Also during the statement, the Manaus native highlighted the need for a cool analysis, being impartial when giving his opinion on the clashes.

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“We knew this could happen because of their fighting styles. Obviously, everyone who is a fan of Charles didn’t want it to happen like this, but we had to be aware of things. We had to be impartial and recognize the quality of Ilia’s technique. We knew that a well-placed blow from Ilia would put him to sleep, and that’s exactly what happened,” Diego told MMAJunkie.

Ilia Topuria knocked out Charles of the Bronx in the first round. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram.

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Finally, the fighter recalled the moment when he realized the real size of the trouble that Topuria will present to his next opponents in the octagon.

“The only time we saw Topuria struggle was in his debut, which was a close fight, and when he fought that tall 70-pound kid, who he knocked out. After that, he evolved a lot, he evolved a lot. He surprised me a lot because when Charles closed the distance, and you see that he has a very good position to get a takedown and he can't take him down. I was next to a friend and he said to me: 'I don't know what to do. In fact, I was next to a friend and when I saw that Charles couldn't take him down, despite having a good position, I looked at my friend and said: 'Okay, he's a problem'”, he concluded.

Ilia Topuria poses with two UFC belts after victory against Charles of the Bronx. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram.

At 28 years old, Topuria is riding a streak of 17 consecutive victories. In his last three appearances, the athlete has knocked out all three of his opponents, all of whom are former UFC champions. On the other hand, Do Bronx was defeated again and is now in third place in the rankings, moving away from another chance at the title fight.