Upon moving up in weight to face Charles Oliveira, Spain’s Ilia Topuria spectacularly fulfilled his pledge to secure a first-round knockout victory, thus capturing the UFC lightweight title at the eventful UFC 317. Additionally, Brasil’s Alexandre Pantoja clashed with Kai Kara-France in the co-main event, where he ultimately triumphed by enforcing a third-round submission, thereby preservering his reign as the flyweight champion.
It was in February that Ilia Topuria, a former featherweight champion, made an ambitious announcement about transitioning to the 155-pound (70 kg) division, with his sights set on the title left void by Islam Makhachev’s ascent to the welterweight category.
Oliveira, the erstwhile Brazilian lightweight champ, showcased a brief flicker of his superior grappling expertise before being overpowered by Topuria’s profound striking abilities. Remarkably, Topuria, despite facing a substantially larger foe, nullified Oliveira’s grappling attempts and swiftly transitioned the bout to a stand-up exchange. This strategy culminated in Oliveira succumbing to a powerful right followed by a left hook, knocking him out cold and vindicating Topuria’s pre-fight forecast of a first-round knockout.
Refusing to miss the beat, Topuria elaborated on his victory in a post-fight interview, affirming, “I foretold this – I am emblematic of a new breeding in mixed martial arts – a new level of the game.” Echoing his strategy, he added, “precisely as we devised: numerous jabs followed by a sharp right and then a left hook, and just like that – lights out for him.”
In related main card activities, Pantoja, heralding from Brazil, secured his flyweight title defense by dominating New Zealander Kai Kara-France with a decisive rear naked choke in the closing moments of the third round. Furthermore, the evening saw action across the weight spectrum: Joshua Van emerged victorious over Brandon Royval in a flyweight showdown via unanimous decision; Beneil Dariush and Renato Moicano locked horns in a fierce lightweight bout, with Dariush prevailing by unanimous decision; and Payton Talbott bested Felipe Lima in a bantamweight matchup, celebrations concluded with the sound of the bell signaling the unanimous verdict of the panel judges in his favor.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2025/6/29/topuria-beats-oliveira-to-win-ufc-lightweight-title-with-stunning-knockout?traffic_source=rss
