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Stream UFC 317 on ESPN+ https://plus.espn.com/ufc/ppv
Check out the best moments from the UFC 317 pre-fight press conference in Las Vegas featuring Ilia Topuria, Charles Oliveira, Alexandre Pantoja, Kai Kara-France, Dana White and more.
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Video Transcript
what's up everybody thanks for coming
out today
who's got the first question wanted to
start with Ilia please uh Ilia I just
wanted to ask you about this fan
reaction today right there's been a lot
of discussion about you fighting fan
favorites you have to hear booze when
you walk out are you hoping that this is
the fight where people start to cheer
for you or do you enjoy kind of playing
the villain a little bit i used to it to
be honest the only thing I I wish that I
gonna enjoy the fight on Saturday night
that's all
and Charles famously has the most
finishes in UFC history if you go out
there and finish him in the first round
like you're saying you will what
statement does that send to the rest of
the division and the rest of the UFC
man i don't want to finish him i want to
win that's what I came for the win i won
my arm raised and that's what I'm ready
for anelia how about for you i mean if
you get that first round finish so
Charles what does that mean for your
legacy what statement does this send he
wants to win i would say that's a very
virtual thinking but
one last quick one for Charles charles
you were actually in the UFC before Ilia
had ever even had a professional fight
so what does that experience mean in a
fight like this of this magnitude for
you
guys these are stages and there are
phases and it doesn't matter what's
passes past these are waters under the
bridge and I'll tell you if these boos
if you guys think you're breaking me
down believe me I was forging the fire
i'm ready for this question of the
champion Aleandre Panttoia all the way
in the back you know on media day you
called Kai French you know the Mike
Tyson of the flyweight division and you
needed to be the Muhammad Ali a make him
miss so I guess what type of fight are
you expecting you expecting a 25minute
war do you think you can put him out
there early on Saturday hello Las Vegas
i'm here one more time in T-Mobile Arena
i love to come to this city and show
everybody I'm the best on the world you
know this pound-for-pound ranking it's a
[ __ ] you know I'm going to prove
Saturday night I'm the best fight in the
whole UFC
similar question for Kai you know
immediate day you said you know you can
put people away early but you know that
Pantosia you're going to need 10 20 kill
shots so you expecting a 25minute fight
or do you think you could go in there
and put him away like you've done to the
past flyweights uh Ka um Pentos is one
of the best you know there's he's one of
the best champs in the flyweight
division uh but we fought nine years ago
i was a boy back then now I'm a man i
got to I know what I'm fighting for so
when I get in there I want to be the
first one to make history and take him
out renato said that he had to kill you
on Saturday because there's only room
for one old man in this division do you
think he's going to come out aggressive
or what are you expecting from those
comments um I don't know i I just expect
more words than actual fighting so fight
day like if you don't know tomorrow no
Saturday [ __ ] you know let's
[ __ ] go only one old man on this
[ __ ] town
i'll be the last one standing i'll By
the way I'm younger than you
[ __ ] 15 days so pay attention on
Saturday I going to finish you listen
young man you're still young you'll stay
young and you'll lose this one but
you'll I'm still young but I'm balding
so that means I have superiority over
you my brother i'm a real man over here
brother i'm going to break you Saturday
we'll talk after all right let's see
let's see that my brother
bernardo you told us yesterday that you
made a lot of money from that fight with
Islam Makachev but two back-to-back
losses at this stage of your career
would you say money or what the [ __ ] you
saying my brother don't say losses to
moneyu
i only lost to the best and my [ __ ]
account that is not the [ __ ] best are
you comparing that to Islam my brother
no I was just saying that money or not
you cannot lose
then don't [ __ ] say my brother this
is money time back in the day I could
afford to lose you know why because they
pay [ __ ] mean Bitcoin now they trying
to they try to pay me in dollar so I
need to win
charles this week we another more images
have gone viral on social media of you
and your team praying and cutting Wade
and so we wanted to know when did that
begin what does it feel like and how
important it is to have this team behind
you
box this is not a team this is a family
it don't matter if I say it they're
never going to get it it's a a shoot box
question for Ilia ilia if you win the
belt on Saturday you'll become
two-weight UFC champion in just nine
fights what would that say about you if
you're able to accomplish that in such a
short amount of time
uh that I'm the best
i'm the best fighter in the world and
it's not that if I'm going to win the
belt I'm going to do it i'm going to
knock him out in the first round they
always used to be like this but after
the fight you know what's happened and
one question for Dana dana originally
Brandon Roy Val versus Minnel Cap was
build as a flyweight title eliminator is
Roy Val versus Joshua Van next for the
title yeah Dana
uh the guy just asked him uh you know
you feel like you're the most
disrespected fighter in the UFC i guess
I got to say yes to that question then
yes that's what the [ __ ] we're talking
about let's bring that [ __ ] Josh and
we're going to get some bonuses on top
that [ __ ] let's do this [ __ ] man let's
do it
question question for Ilia ilia Khabib
recently said that he wanted you to face
Charles before fighting Islam he
believes you beat Charles what did you
make of Khabib's comments and why do you
think he wanted you to fight Charles
before fighting Islam
honestly I don't care what he wants
now you've said you've knocked out
Vulcanowski you've knocked out Max
Holloway you said you're going to knock
out Charles in the first round do you
enjoy knocking out these legends of the
sport
of course because if you beat legends
after legends you eventually become a
legend like Dana said and one for Kara
France now Vog and JDM both won titles
this year for Australia did that give
you any inspiration to bring the title
back home to New Zealand not just for
yourself but for the whole region ah
100% um that region is is it's so hot
right now like everyone's killing it
everyone's going after it so like I said
in the in the buildup to this it's my
time it's Kai time ilia
after defeating Charles and winning the
lightweight belt do you think you should
become the undisputed pound-for-pound
number one fighter in the UFC
i don't know i don't like to answer
those kind of questions to be honest
whatever they whatever they decide to
put me I will be okay i don't care about
those rankings to be honest
my qu my question is for Ilia ilia
you're known for beating legends come
Saturday night you beat Charles who will
be your next victim
next one i don't know who's going to be
the next one Dana
well we'll figure that out after
Saturday whoever
go ahead sir question for Ilia here to
your left given Charles's immense
standing in the sport all the accolades
he has what does a win over him do for
your resume and your bid to become the
greatest mixed martial artists of all
time it it always means a lot to be
those kind of fighters you know what I
mean he's a he's a legend in the sport
so it means a lot for for my
professional career so all the respect
and the work for Charles but I'm doing
my job
and question for Charles
given the given the immense not hype
behind Nailia but the immense respect
that everybody's given him and the
apparent anointment of him potentially
being the king of the UFC with a win
this weekend what does a win over him do
for your legacy
ect
enormous uh it's that legacy it's
building on the legacy and it's not just
the UFC or you i respect I a lot and the
trajectory and his journey that he's had
i'll tell you what we're going to
deliver a great fight for you guys on
Saturday night and we're ready for that
former UFC lightweight champion Islam
Mahachev was critical of you this week
he went on an interview and he said "We
don't give a [ __ ] about him so save that
question."
Well we'll move on josh Van and Brandon
Roy Hall dana White just confirmed that
your fight is the number one contenders
fight so what's your message to the two
guys sitting beside you fighting for the
title this weekend oh take notes watch
at this me and Josh Van go hard so this
is going to be an exciting fight and uh
I'm excited to meet Josh Van in the
middle
the winner of the title have to come see
me so
yeah
Dana for you in case Ilia just finishes
Charles Olivivera does he become the new
face of the UFC
um listen there there's lots of guys
that that are stars depending on where
we go and what we do he is definitely
you know if he goes in and and does what
he says he's going to do on Saturday
night he's absolutely one of the biggest
stars in combat sports
are going to help you in this fight
even with with less 10 extra pounds I I
will beat him
let's see it go ahead sir hello question
for also
We keep undefeated
ilia you faced a big legend in the sport
folk what happened i won you faced
another legend Max Holloway what
happened i won you're going to face
another legend Charles Olivera what's
going to happen i'm going to win do you
think that Dana is going to be mad at
you because uh you're going to be just
kicking out legends
are you asking me if I will be mad if he
Yeah and he said he doesn't fear anybody
he only fears God
he congratulations did you win the
weirdest question of all time
congratulations
thank you boys face forward
awesome thank you guys thank you good
luck
[ __ ] that
thank you
and your boys face forward
thank you
thank you
rock
Awesome boys thank you good luck to you
thank you guys
i'm
Do you get Hallelujah