Charles Oliveira sees Ilia Topuria as the clear pick in the UFC White House main event, arguing that Topuria’s technique gives him the edge over Justin Gaethje’s brawling style. That opinion is worth listening to because as ‘Oliveira ‘Do Bronx’ has shared the cage with both men, submitting Gaethje at UFC 274 and then losing to Topuria by first-round knockout in their 2025 lightweight title fight.
Charles Oliveira backs Ilia Topuria in White House headliner
In an exclusive interview with LowKick MMA, with the help of CasinoHawks, Oliveira said:
“Everyone keeps asking me about it. They’re two guys who hit hard, two guys who commit themselves, two great fighters. But in my view, Topuria has a much better chance of winning. He’s a much more technical fighter than Gaethje. Gaethje is a brawler, he’s there for a tear-up. Topuria is a guy who hunts the knockout, he chases the knockout. So I believe he wins.”
The fight Oliveira was discussing is one of the UFC’s biggest announcements of 2026. UFC CEO Dana White confirmed that Topuria will defend his lightweight title against interim champion Gaethje in the main event of the White House card, scheduled for June 14 in Washington, D.C. as part of the America 250 celebration. The bout is a title unification fight, with Topuria entering as the undisputed champion and Gaethje bringing the interim belt he won earlier this year against Paddy Pimblett.
Oliveira’s view stands out because he has recent experience with each man. He beat Gaethje by first-round rear-naked choke at UFC 274 on May 7, 2022, in a fight where both men scored knockdowns before Oliveira found the finish at 3:22 of Round 1. Three years later, Oliveira fought Topuria for the vacant lightweight title at UFC 317, and Topuria stopped him at 2:27 of the opening round to become a two-division UFC champion.
According to ‘Do Bronx’, both men are dangerous, but if the White House headliner becomes a firefight, he believes the cleaner and more technical puncher is the one more likely to leave with the belt. He’s picking the Spanish-Georgian.