Former UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria is in London for the UFC Fight Night event this Saturday. Brazilian lightweight Kaue Fernandes hopes his performance will be so impressive it will shock Topuria.
Fernandes is set to fight Guram Kutateladze in the early part of the event at the O2 Arena. He believes that defeating Kutateladze, who is friends with Georgian stars Ilia Topuria and Merab Dvalishvili, could generate excitement and create interesting future storylines.
“I’ve considered it,” Fernandes said about the possibility of Dvalishvili and Topuria being in Kutateladze’s corner on Saturday. “Imagine if Topuria is there and gets worried because his friend lost, and that kicks off a story [laughs]. I think Kutateladze’s friendships with those champions definitely adds to the anticipation.”
Topuria previously held the 145-pound title but chose to vacate it to move up to lightweight, Fernandes’ weight class, to pursue Islam Makhachev’s championship. The UFC has not yet announced when Topuria will debut at lightweight or who his first opponent will be.
“[Kutateladze] already has some hype, although not a lot,” Fernandes continued. “If I win by a narrow decision, it won’t create much buzz for me. But a knockout victory would definitely generate hype. I see this as a great opportunity. … This fight can put me in a position to demand bigger opportunities. I already have the necessary skills, I just haven’t fully demonstrated them yet. And the only way to show it is by fighting.”
The Nova Uniao fighter experienced a close split decision loss to Marc Diakiese in his first UFC fight in 2023. He then bounced back with a first-round knockout against Mohammad Yahya in Abu Dhabi. Fernandes states that competing in an opponent’s territory motivates him.
“I’m a bit different in that way,” Fernandes explained about fighting in Europe. “I actually get more energy when I’m fighting away from home. My last fight was in Abu Dhabi against a local fighter. I get to visit London, which I’ve always dreamed of, and fighting here gives me a lot of energy. It makes me stronger.”
Fernandes feels more confident entering this fight after a win, compared to his previous fight where he was coming off a loss. Finishing Yahya “boosts your confidence in your punching power, knowing that when you connect, it will cause damage,” Fernandes said. He hopes this performance will earn him a $50,000 bonus.
“[Kutateladze] used more grappling than striking in his last fight, even though he’s primarily a striker,” Fernandes noted about Kutateladze’s decision win over Jordan Vucenic in August 2023. “He tends to grapple when he feels threatened on his feet, but most fighters are like that. If I feel things aren’t going my way, which I doubt will happen, I can also grapple. He might try to grapple, but I’m expecting a stand-up fight.”
