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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