Ilia Topuria is set to challenge for the lightweight championship.
UFC CEO Dana White recently announced via Instagram Live that Ilia Topuria will compete against Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight championship. This highly anticipated bout will headline UFC 317 on June 28 in Las Vegas, concluding International Fight Week. The title became vacant after Islam Makhachev relinquished it to move up a weight class and challenge the new welterweight champion, Jack Della Maddalena.
White mentioned that the date and location for the Della Maddalena vs. Makhachev fight are yet to be determined. He also confirmed that flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja will defend his belt against Kai Kara-France in the co-main event of UFC 317.
Speculation about Topuria receiving a lightweight title opportunity has circulated for months. Known as “El Matador,” he vacated his featherweight title in February, anticipating a challenge for the lightweight strap, potentially against Islam Makhachev. Recent discussions prior to UFC 315 centered on whether a win by Belal Muhammad (a training partner of Makhachev) for the welterweight title would prevent Makhachev from moving up. However, following Della Maddalena`s victory over Muhammad, Makhachev is now clear to pursue the welterweight championship.
With a perfect 16-0 record, Topuria is undefeated and aims to achieve champion status in a second division. Since joining the UFC in 2020, “El Matador” quickly rose to prominence, defeating opponents like Youssef Zalal, Ryan Hall, Bryce Mitchell, and Josh Emmett. He captured the featherweight title at UFC 298 by knocking out Alexander Volkanovski, becoming the first fighter to defeat Volkanovski at 145 pounds.
Following the official announcement, Topuria took to social media, commenting on the fight and seemingly criticizing Makhachev. He stated:
On June 28, another dream will come true. I’ll be the champion of the lightweight division. Charles, my apologies in advance… I’m just fighting for my dreams. It’s unfortunate that Makhachev ran away. 17-0
Charles Oliveira (35-10, 1 NC) has experience in vacant title bouts. He first claimed the lightweight championship at UFC 262, defeating Michael Chandler after Khabib Nurmagomedov retired. “Do Bronx” successfully defended the title against Dustin Poirier but was later stripped of the belt due to a weight miss before defeating Justin Gaethje. He had another opportunity for a vacant title at UFC 280 but lost to Islam Makhachev.
The co-main event is a rematch between flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja (29-5) and Kai Kara-France (25-11, 1 NC). Pantoja previously defeated “Don’t Blink” during their time on The Ultimate Fighter 24. Since then, Pantoja has won and successfully defended the flyweight championship. Kara-France is a consistent top contender in the 125-pound division and secured this title opportunity with a first-round knockout against Steve Erceg, who recently challenged for the belt.
The UFC has released the updated lineup for the June 28 event scheduled for T-Mobile Arena. The current list of announced fights is below, though the final bout order is yet to be confirmed.Announced UFC 317 Bouts
- Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira (Vacant Lightweight Title)
- Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Kara-France (Flyweight Title)
- Paulo Costa vs. Roman Kopylov
- Beneil Dariush vs. Renato Moicano
- Jhonata Diniz vs. Justin Tafa
- Brandon Royval vs. Manel Kape
- Jack Hermansson vs. Gregory Rodrigues
- Viviane Araujo vs. Tracy Cortez
