Ilia Topuria said he would knock out Charles Oliveira in the first round of their UFC 317 bout on Saturday for the vacant UFC Lightweight Championship belt. He did just that.
Topuria vacated his Featherweight title to move up to Lightweight division in April and the move paid off. He knocked out Oliveira in the first round of the main event to win the UFC Lightweight Championship, marking his third straight knockout win. With the victory, Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) became the first undefeated fighter and only the 10th fighter in UFC history to become a champion in two divisions.
The UFC Lightweight belt was up for grabs after champion Islam Makhachev moved up to the Welterweight division.
Oliveira previously held the UFC Featherweight title from May 2021 to May 2022, when he was stripped of the belt ahead of his second title defense after missing weight by half a pound. It marked the first time in UFC history that a defending champion lost a title due to missing weight.
USA TODAY Sports recapped UFC 317 and provided analysis through each fight:
UFC 317 main card results
Main event: Ilia Topuria def. Charles Oliveira via KO – Round 1, 2:27
For the vacant UFC lightweight title
Round 1: Charles Oliveira started attacking Ilia Topuria’s legs early. Topuria landed a shot to Oliveira’s head that resulted in a gash above right eye. Oliveira landed a takedown, but Topuria ended up on top. Oliveira almost got Topuria into a leg lock, but Topuria wiggled free and the two fighters returned to their feet. Topuria knocked Oliveira out cold with a right hook that he followed up with a left hook. Topuria finished Oliveira off with a follow-up shot on the ground to end the fight in the first round as he stated he would.
We have a new UFC lightweight champion, Ilia Topuria.
Alexandre Pantoja def. Kai Kara-France via submission (rear-naked choke)
For Pantoja’s UFC flyweight title
Round 1: Kai Kara-France came out swinging and Pantoja quickly took him down and gained control of Kara-France’s back. Fans started to boo to the bewilderment of the commentators. Pantoja threw nasty body shots as he locked his legs around Kara-France’s abdomen. Kara-France attempted to wiggle free and Pantoja mounted Kara-France and almost got an arm bar. Pantoja maintained control on the ground and dominated the round.
Round 2: Pantoja caught Kara-France with a loud body kick to the left abdomen that left a mark. Kara-France countered with some kicks of his own, but they didn’t appear to impact Pantoja. They exchanged some blows before Pantoja took Kara-France down again. Kara-France worked his way to his feet and tried a take down of his own. Pantoja appears to be slowing down, but ended the round with a kick that made Kara-France stumble back.
Round 3: Pantoja came out with another body kick and clinched Kara-France against the cage before scoring another take down. Pantoja got on Kara-France’s back and locked his legs around his waist again in a dominant position. Pantoja worked himself into position for a rear naked chokehold, forcing Kara-France to tap.
And still the UFC flyweight champion, Alexandre Pantoja.
Joshua Van def. Brandon Royval by unanimous decision
Joshua Van may have taken this fight on three weeks notice, but he came out sharp and landed several shots to Royval’s head. Royval focused on Van’s body early on, but Van brilliantly countered many of Royval’s shots. The second round opened with a flurry of punches from both fighters, who remained on their feet the entire round. Royval and Van both landed shots as the bout continued to be very close. The action picked back up in the third round as Royval and Van continued to duke it out without a single take down attempt. Both fighters were bloodied and battered but continued to throw punches at a high clip in the middle of the Octagon. Van knocked down Royval with a right hook to the chin with seconds remaining in the third round. Van won by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27). Van declared that he broke his right big toe three weeks ago.
Beneil Dariush def. Renato Moicano via unanimous decision
Dariush dropped Moicano early in the first round with a kick, but Moicano responded with a punch that knocked down Dariush. The two fighters then jockeyed for position on the ground before returning to their feet. More grappling ensued in the second round with Dariush dominating the exchanges. Dariush again took down Moicano in the third round, but Moicano reversed and almost took Dariush back before he got free. They returned to their feet. A fatigued Moicano had some moments in the third round, but it was too little too late. Dariush won by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
Payton Talbot def. Felipe Lima via unanimous decision
Lima caught Talbot with some punishing punches early on and attempted to take Talbot down, but Talbot continually took control on the ground and showed his improved grappling skills. Talbot defeated Lima by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
UFC 317: Time, PPV, streaming for Oliveira vs. Oliveira
The match between Charles Oliveira and Ilia Oliveira will take place on Saturday, June 28 and can be purchased on ESPN+ PPV.
Date: Saturday, June 28
Location: T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas
Early prelims start time: 7 p.m. ET
Early prelims stream: UFC Fight Pass
Welterweight Jacobe Smith def. Niko Price via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:03
Heavyweight Jhonata Diniz def. Alvin Hines via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Prelims card start time: 8 p.m. ET
Prelims card TV: ESPN; Prelims stream: ESPN+, Disney+
Middleweight Gregory Rodrigues def. Jack Hermansson via KO (punch) – Round 1, 4:21
Featherweight Jose Miguel Delgado def. Hyder Amil via KO (knee and punches) – Round 1, 0:26
Women’s flyweight Tracy Cortez def. Vivian Araujo via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Lightweight Terrance McKinney def. Viacheslav Borshchev via submission (Guillotine choke) – Round 1, 0:55
Main card start time: 10 p.m. ET
Main card stream: ESPN+ PPV
Ilia Topuria vs Charles Oliveira; For the vacant UFC lightweight title
UFC flyweight title: Champ Alexandre Pantoja def. Kai Kara-France via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 1:55
Flyweight Joshua Van def. Brandon Royval via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Lightweight Beneil Dariush def. Renato Moicano via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Bantamweight Payton Talbot def. Felipe Lima via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
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UFC 317 prelim results
Gregory Rodrigues def. Jack Hermansson via KO (punch)
Gregory Rodrigues caught Jack Hermansson with a left hook to the chin that stunned Hermansson and knocked him out cold. Rodrigues landed one more punch before referee Herb Dean called the fight. Hermansson remained down in the Octagon several minutes after.
Jose Miguel Delgado def. Hyder Amil via KO (knee and punches)
It only took Jose Miguel Delgado 26 seconds to defeat Hyder Amil. Delgado dropped Amil with a knee to the chin.
Tracy Cortez def. Vivian Araujo via unanimous decision
Cortez dominated Araujo on the ground and won by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
Terrance McKinney def Viacheslav Borshchev via submission (Guillotine choke)
The bout between Terrance McKinney and Viacheslav Borshchev was over soon after it began. McKinney caught a kick from Borshchev and immediately took him down. McKinney went for the Anaconda choke, before mounting Borschchev for the Guillotine choke after 55 seconds in the first round. ‘I want to show people I’m well-rounded,’ McKinney said after his win.
Jacobe Smith def. Niko Price via submission (rear naked choke)
Jacobe Smith remains undefeated after making Niko Price tap in the second round by way of a rear-naked choke, which marked the first submission of Smith’s career.
Jhonata Diniz def. Alvin Hines via Unanimous decision
Alvin Hines’ UFC debut didn’t go according to plan. Hines and Diniz went the distance, but the judges crowned Diniz the winner by unanimous decision, 29-28, 29-28, 29-28.
UFC reporter Megan Olivi announces maternity leave
FOX Sports reporter Megan Olivi, who covers the UFC and NFL for the network, announced that UFC 317 will be her last assignment before going on maternity leave. Olivi is expecting her first child with husband Joseph Benavidez, the former UFC flyweight title challenger.
‘Incredibly grateful to be healthy enough to work this event – not gonna lie, it feels pretty empowering,’ Olivi wrote on X. In a post on Instagram, she captioned a photo of her interviewing various UFC stars alongside her baby bump: ‘I cannot wait for this card … then it’s off to maternity leave to have a baby next week lol.’
UFC 317 preliminary and main card start times
Early prelims: 7 p.m. ET (ESPN+, Disney+)
Prelims: 8 p.m. ET (ESPN, ESPN+, Disney+)
Main card: 10 p.m. ET (PPV on ESPN+)
UFC 317: Topuria vs. Oliveira card
Fight card according to ESPN.
Main Card:
Ilia Topuria vs Charles Oliveira; For the vacant UFC lightweight title
Alexandre Pantoja vs Kai Kara-France; For Pantoja’s UFC flyweight title
Brandon Royval vs Joshua Van; Flyweight
Beneil Dariush vs. Renato Moicano; Lightweight
Payton Talbot vs Felipe Lima; Bantamweight
Prelims:
Jack Hermansson vs Gregory Rodrigues; Middleweight
Hyder Amil vs Jose Miguel Delgado; Featherweight
Vivian Araujo vs Tracy Cortez; Women’s flyweight
Terrance McKinney vs Viacheslav Borshchev; Lightweight
Early Prelims:
Niko Price vs Jacobe Smith; Welterweight
Heavyweight Jhonata Diniz def. Alvin Hines via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Christopher Ewert vs Jackson McVey; Middleweight
UFC 317: Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira predictions
MMA Junkie: Volkanovski predicts Topuria knocks out Oliveira
Farah Honnoun writes: ‘I think Ilia’s going to get the win. I think Ilia can catch him. I reckon early knockout – early knockout for Ilia Topuria. … He doesn’t just come forward and just stand in your face. He has a lot of movement. You see him slipping and slipping and trying to find his way in.’
ESPN: Experts pick Ilia Topuria
Anthony Smith writes: ‘Everything I look at in this matchup tells me to pick Ilia. He’s a better technical boxer. Against Josh Emmett in 2023, he showed he was defensively responsible, even though he had no problem standing in the pocket. Most people who avoid taking a big shot from Emmett do it by refusing to engage with him and backing away. Ilia is so technically sound, which is extremely impressive. And if he gets on top of Charles on the ground, I think he’ll do serious damage.’
Forbes: Ilia Topuria to beat Charles Oliveira
Trent Reinsmith writes: ‘If Oliveira approaches this fight like he has been competing as of late, he will be in trouble. That means Oliveira cannot opt to strike in range against Topuria, who is a powerful striker with good footwork and finishing skills. Oliveira must fight at distance and keep Topuria from getting in close. Oliveira has not shown a willingness to fight that type of battle.’
UFC 317 live stream
The Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira early prelims and prelims fight will be available to stream on ESPN+ and Disney+, while the main card will be streamed on ESPN Pay-Per-View.
UFC 317 price
UFC events are available to ESPN+ subscribers. The cost of the service is $10.99 a month or $109.99 for the year. The PPV is available for an additional $79.99.
UFC 317 odds: Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira fight card
*All odds via BetMGM
Main Card:
Ilia Topuria (-450) vs. Charles Oliveira (+325); For the vacant UFC lightweight title
Alexandre Pantoja (-250) vs. Kai Kara-France (+200); For Pantoja’s UFC flyweight title
Brandon Royval (EVEN) vs. Joshua Van (-120); Flyweight
Beneil Dariush (-110) vs. Renato Moicano (-110); Lightweight
Payton Talbot (-150) vs. Felipe Lima (-180); Bantamweight
Prelims:
Jack Hermansson (+190) vs. Gregory Rodrigues (-235); Middleweight
Hyder Amil (+135) vs. Jose Miguel Delgado (-170); Featherweight
Vivian Araujo (+210) vs. Tracy Cortez(-260); Women’s flyweight
Terrance McKinney (-175) vs. Viacheslav Borshchev (+145); Lightweight
Early Prelims:
Niko Price (+1000) vs. Jacobe Smith (-3000); Welterweight
Jhonata Diniz (-370) vs. Alvin Hines (+280); Heavyweight
Christopher Ewert (+125) vs. Jackson McVey (-150); Middleweight
Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira: Tale of the tape
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