Topuria's physical trainer: "Ilia will knock out Oliveira; he won't be able to withstand his punching power."

Ilia Topuria faces a new challenge to continue expanding his legend in mixed martial arts (MMA). El Matador will face former champion Charles Oliveira for the UFC lightweight title, which current champion Islam Makhachev has vacated in order to move up a weight class. It seemed, in fact, that Topuria's opponent would be the Dagestani, but he ultimately decided to avoid that fight, giving the Brazilian a step forward. In full preparation for the fight, the Spanish-Georgian's main physical performance coach, Jesús Gallo , gave an exclusive interview to ABC MMA to analyze how training camp is going and the commitment they have ahead of them at UFC 317, which will take place during International Fight Week in Las Vegas on June 28.

When did you start training camp in relation to the call from the UFC that already secured a lightweight title fight at International Fight Week?

-For five years now, when I started working with Ilia, we knew that after winning the featherweight title, we were going to move up to lightweight. It was a decision that had been made before the fight against Max Holloway. After the fight against Max, we knew we were going to move down to lightweight, and that's when the preparations began. It's nothing new; it didn't take us by surprise; it's not something we started a month ago.

-Now that a fight is scheduled, in this case against Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 on June 28, you officially enter training camp. How's that preparation going?

-At first, what we're trying to do is gain a little more muscle mass and move to a weight where when we drop to 70 kilos, we'll have a rebound where he feels comfortable, with power, without losing the speed that is one of his qualities as a fighter.

-How many weeks will you be doing the specific preparation?

-It's going to be 11 weeks. That's plenty of time to get to combat.

Has Charles Oliveira's physical preparation changed much compared to if Islam Makhachev had been his opponent?

-If it had been Islam, the charges would have been different, the sparring partners would have changed, and the approach would have been a little different. We would have prepared the fighting part more, to have the energy needed to fight for five rounds.

-Finally, it was Charles, who is a fighter who combines a great ground game with magnificent striking. What kind of adaptations did you make for this opponent?

-Based on physical preparation, we're not going to change anything we've been doing, except that we're focusing on maintaining power and quickness. But we're focusing a lot on his footwork, everything that has to do with his eye reaction, how he sees the fight. What we're doing is focusing on the striking aspect, maintaining distance, trying to close the distance so Ilia stays close to Charles where he'll do the most damage.

-Ilia has a very strong point, which he already demonstrated at featherweight, and that is his punching power, his knockout ability. How do you see him performing at lightweight compared to other fighters?

"He's going to be the best puncher at lightweight, I have no doubt about it. I don't think anyone at that weight class has the power he has. We're not losing anything, nor does anyone have a superiority over Ilia. In terms of size, we've already faced taller fighters like Holloway. Ilia is a fighter who can close the distance incredibly well; it doesn't affect him at all. Also, the wear and tear he suffered with the weight cut at featherweight won't be seen now at lightweight."

-It's also true that he'll be more muscular and heavier. Could that cause Ilia to wear out faster in terms of cardio?

-Ilia is actually a weight class. We've held all our training camps at this weight class, but then he had to push himself to reach featherweight in the cut. But his genetics are at this weight class, his build, everything has benefited him to be at this weight class. We haven't pushed anything to be here.

-One of the interesting points on the physical side is that Ilia has already stated that his intention is to conquer three weight classes, and that would involve moving up to welterweight (77 kilos). How realistic is it that he can put on great performances in that division?

-It's very real, incredibly real. It really is. Without belittling anyone, without sounding arrogant, it's something that can truly be achieved. We'd increase his muscle mass a little, but it wouldn't be something that would diminish him, nor would we make a drastic change, nothing that would harm his mobility inside the Octagon. He has very favorable genetics; I don't think it would be a drastic change.

Let's get more personal. You started working with Ilia Topuria five years ago. How did this relationship begin?

-He was in Miami during the pandemic, and at the time I was bringing Jorge Masvidal, and he recommended him to me. This was in 2020. They brought Ilia to me, and we had a chemical connection.

-And now you're in Madrid, side by side with Ilia.

-Yes, we decided it was necessary for him to come to Madrid for this camp, and I'll be with him until the end. We'll leave for Las Vegas three weeks early.

What kind of adjustments do you make when you arrive in the United States to combat jet lag?

The main thing is to get used to the time, trying not to fall asleep during the day. It's an effort that will take a few days, but he's used to it, so it'll be pretty easy.

-The issue of activation for the fight is very interesting to me.

-On fight day, in the morning, we always do reaction and activation work. We work on mobility, eyes, strategy, technique, tactics, everything we've talked about during training. We review everything we want to do in the fight and what we've been working on for so long.

-There's something that's had a big impact in the United States regarding Ilia's preparation: the use of cutting-edge technology. Are you continuing to develop these machines?

-Obviously, he's treated his career very professionally, and it shows in the results, both physically and mentally. That's what has helped him a lot throughout his career.

-To conclude, I'd like you to give me your prediction for the June 28 fight. What do you think will happen against Charles Oliveira?

-Without disregarding Charles, who has had many battles in the Octagon and has proven he has the guts to be there, I don't want to take any credit away from him, but I think the fight will end in a knockout for Ilia. I know he won't be able to withstand Ilia's power. I don't know for sure in the round, but if he touches him, he'll go to the canvas, and I don't think he'll get up from there.