In a sensational display of power at UFC 317 in Las Vegas, Ilia Topuria ascended the ranks with an emphatic first-round knockout of Charles Oliveira to claim the vacant lightweight championship. Topuria’s victory came with a powerful right hand followed by a deadly left hook, toppling Oliveira at the 2:27 mark of the initial round, fulfilling his promise of a first-round KO amid a crowd of 19,800 who erupted in applause.
Topuria, an advocate for the “new generation of mixed martial arts,” entered the fight as a favored contender. His victory marks his tenth first-round finish, solidifying his reputation. Previously fighting in the featherweight class, Topuria secured that title last year with a knockout of Alexander Volkanovski and defended it against Max Holloway in Abu Dhabi. As one of only nine fighters to hold UFC belts in two divisions and the first to do so while undefeated, Topuria’s achievements were described as a milestone by UFC CEO and president Dana White.
Charles Oliveira, known for the most finishes in UFC history, was aspiring to reclaim the lightweight title for the second time. However, the event took another turn with the presence of Paddy Pimblett, a rival of Topuria from a previous altercation. The atmosphere intensified as the two exchanged challenges, with Topuria urging Pimblett, “Let’s [expletive] fight!” UFC’s president expressed disapproval over Pimblett entering the ring due to their previous confrontations.
In the co-main event, Alexandre Pantoja, defending his flyweight championship, successfully subdued Kai Kara-France via rear-naked chokehold at 1:55 in the third round. This victory marks his second against Kara-France, following their prior encounter on “The Ultimate Fighter” reality show. Pantoja continues his reign with an eight-fight winning streak, having defended his title four times since winning it two years ago against Brandon Moreno. Post-victory, a showdown was hinted as Joshua Van challenged Pantoja, following Van’s victory over Brandon Royval through a unanimous decision after a heated three-round contest determined by their boxing prowess.
Other critical fights included Beneil Dariush overcoming a first-round knockdown to secure a unanimous decision against Renato Moicano in a lightweight bout. In bantamweight action, Payton Talbott demonstrated an improved ground game to achieve a unanimous decision victory over Felipe Lima.