Ilia Topuria delivers first-round KO of Charles…
LAS VEGAS — Ilia Topuria continued his ascension up the pound-for-pound ladder with a main assertion via a vicious first-round knockout of Charles Oliveira to win the vacant light-weight championship Saturday night time at UFC 317.
Topuria used a sharp proper hand to set up a devastating left hook that dropped Oliveira to finish the bout at the two:27 mark of the opening spherical, fulfilling his prediction of a first-round KO while sending the introduced crowd of 19,800 into a frenzy.
“I always say I represent the new generation of mixed martial arts,” mentioned Topuria, who closed a -400 favourite at BetMGM sportsbook.
Topuria (17-0), who now has 10 first-round finishes to his credit, moved up to the 155-pound weight class following a profitable marketing campaign in the featherweight division final yr.
He claimed that belt with a second-round knockout of Alexander Volkanovski and defended his title by ending Max Holloway in the third spherical of an October bout in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Topuria, who got here in ranked fourth on UFC’s pound-for-pound listing, joined 9 others who have held a UFC belt in two weight lessons. He is the first undefeated fighter to turn into champion in two UFC divisions.
“I think tonight was his big night,” UFC CEO and president Dana White mentioned. “We have a star on our hands.”
Oliveira (35-11), who has essentially the most finishes in UFC historical past, hoped to turn into the first fighter to win the light-weight belt on separate events.
Fellow light-weight Paddy Pimblett was in the viewers and summoned to the ring, where a heated exchange led to Topuria shoving the eighth-ranked contender and igniting a rivalry from years in the past.
Ilia Topuria scores a first-round TKO win over Charles Oliveira to win the vacant light-weight championship at UFC 317 on June 28, 2025. Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC
“Let’s (expletive) fight! If you’re ready, I’m here,” Topuria mentioned to Pimblett before he entered the ring.
White wasn’t completely happy with Pimblett getting in the ring, understanding the historical past of dangerous blood between the 2.
The two have been at odds for some time, after they got here to blows when Pimblett threw a bottle of hand sanitizer at Topuria’s head in 2022.
“That was a heavy knockout, I’ll give you that,” Pimblett mentioned to Topuria. “But you will never knock me out.”
Replied Topuria: “I’m going to submit you.”
In the co-main occasion, flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja (30-5) efficiently defended his belt by making use of a rear-naked chokehold to defeat Kai Kara-France (25-12) at the 1:55 mark of the third spherical.
It marked the second time the fighters met, 9 years after their quarterfinal conflict on the truth show “The Ultimate Fighter,” also gained by Pantoja, but by unanimous choice.
Charles Oliveira is tended to by a coach after getting knocked out in the first spherical by Ilia Topuria. Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Pantoja, who closed a -250 favourite and prolonged his win streak to eight fights, gained the title two years in the past when he beat Brandon Moreno by choice, and has now defended his title efficiently 4 instances.
The 35-year-old Brazilian was joined in the ring after his victory by No. 12 Joshua Van, who put on a show of his own.
Van (15-2-0) defeated No. 1 contender Brandon Royval (17-8-0) in a slugfest in which both fighters displayed unbelievable boxing abilities. Van, who closed a -120 favourite, used an overhand proper to drop Royval before closing out the bout with a extreme ground-and-pound to secure the unanimous choice.
Ilia Topuria celebrates after his first-round KO light-weight title victory over Charles Oliveira. Zuffa LLC
The 419 mixed vital strikes landed have been the third most in a UFC struggle, and essentially the most in both a three-round bout and a featherweight conflict.
Moments after Pantoja’s win, Van challenged Pantoja with both standing nostril to nostril before exiting the octagon.
Other matches from the principle card:
In a light-weight bout, No. 9 Beneil Dariush (23-6-1) survived a first-round knockdown to defeat No. 11 Renato Moicano (20-7-1) via unanimous choice.
In a bantamweight battle, Payton Talbott (10-1-0) used a much-improved ground sport to register a unanimous choice over Felipe Lima (14-2-0).
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