UFC 317: Topuria wins lightweight gold after 1st round KO vs Oliviera, Pantoja retains
Ilia Topuria delivered a clinical performance against Charles Oliveira, securing a first-round finish in just two minutes and 27 seconds to win the vacant lightweight title at UFC 317 in Paradise, Nevada, on Sunday, 29 June.As a result, Topuria now holds the rare distinction of being the only undefeated fighter to have held titles in multiple weight classes. He had previously captured the featherweight title by defeating Alexander Volkanovski in February 2024, and successfully defended it against Max Holloway in October that year. He is now ranked third on the UFC's pound-for-pound list.advertisementDuring the post-fight segment, lightweight contender Paddy Pimblett, who is amongst the top-10 ranked fighters in the division, entered the octagon and vouched for a potential matchup between the two—possibly as Topuria's first title defence.
In the co-main event, flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja delivered another dominant display, defeating New Zealand-based fighter Kai Kara-France with a rear-naked choke just under the two-minute mark in the third round.Another entertaining bout in the mid-card featured 12th-ranked lightweight Joshua Van and rising star Brandon Royval. The two engaged in one of the most iconic stand-up contests in recent memory, but it was Van who emerged victorious by decision.A major incentive tied to the fight was that it served as a title eliminator, with the winner in line for a future title shot. Following his win, Van stayed on for the main event and faced off with new champion Pantoja. While the exchange was friendly, both fighters expressed confidence ahead of a likely future title showdown.advertisementIn the second fight of the main card, Beneil Dariush recovered from a first-round knockdown to defeat Renato Moicano via unanimous decision. His superior wrestling proved decisive, allowing him to control the bout at close range and secure his first win since 2022.The next event, UFC Fight Night, will feature some fairly big names. The main-event will feature Derrick Lewis take on the undefeated Tallison Teixeira. In addition, Stephen Thompson will be up against Gabriel Bonfim while Calvin Kattar takes on Steve Garcia in the featherweight division. The event will be taking place on July 13, next month.- Ends
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
3 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
US women beat Ireland 4-0 for the second straight match
CINCINNATI — Izzy Rodriguez scored in her first appearance for the national team and the United States shut out Ireland 4-0 on Sunday. HT Image Lynn Biyendolo, Yazmeen Ryan and Alyssa Thompson also scored for the United States, which beat Ireland by an identical score in Commerce City, Colorado, on Thursday. The United States went up early when Biyendolo took a cross from Emma Sears and calmly scored her 25th international goal in the 11th minute. Biyendolo was captain for the match. 'I say this all the time, it's such an honor to even play for the national team, be a part of camps. But to be captain, I'm going to remember this day forever,' Biyendolo said. Left back Rodriguez started in her debut and scored on a rebound goal in the 42nd minute to make it 2-0. After halftime, Sears kept the ball in play and sent it to Olivia Moultrie, who crossed to Ryan for the goal in the 66th minute. It was Ryan's first international goal. Thompson came off the bench and scored in her second straight match in the 86th minute. Rose Lavelle, who is from Cincinnati, was sent in as a substitute in the 87th minute by coach Emma Hayes after the crowd at TQL Stadium started chanting her name. Lavelle scored in Thursday's match, making her first appearance of the year for the national team after having ankle surgery. 'Emma had said she'd put me in for a little cameo at the end, so that was always the plan,' Lavelle said. 'I really appreciated that. I think it's always special coming home.' In addition to Rodriguez, Seattle Reign midfielder Sam Meza also started in her debut for the team. Hayes made 11 changes to the starting lineup from Thursday's match. Twenty-four players have made their debut for the national team in 24 games under Hayes, who has been tasked with preparing the team for qualification for the Women's World Cup. 'I think we are still pushing. We want to get a game that we score five goals. But I think that what we want right now is the ability to put anybody into the lineup, and that there's a consistency and the level doesn't drop,' Biyendolo said. The United States was without many of its Europe-based players, including Lindsay Heaps and Crystal Dunn, who Hayes was resting following the European season. Ireland was also missing a few stars, including Katie McCabe, who was given time off after the season with Arsenal, and Denise O'Sullivan, who plays for the North Carolina Courage and is injured. 'I feel like everybody is not just trusting the process, but carrying out all the things we ask them to do,' Hayes said. 'Everybody's showed themselves so, so well.' The United States next plays Canada on Wednesday at Audi Field In Washington. soccer: /hub/soccer This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
India.com
5 hours ago
- India.com
Anyone Whos Faced Death...: Rishabh Pants Surgeon Reacts To His Somersault Celebration, Opens Up On Horrific Car Accident
Rishabh Pant's surgeon Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala, who treated him after his horrific car accident in December 2022, has given his verdict on India wicket-keeper better's somersault celebration After his historic century in the first innings of the Leeds Test, Pant pulled off a somersault celebration, which went viral on social media. The 27-year-old Pant had done somersault celebration for the first time in the IPL 2025 when he scored a century for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). According to Pardiwala, the Mumbai-based orthopedic surgeon, Pant could do somersaults because he has trained as a gymnast but such high intensity celebrations are unnecessary as it can risk injury. "Rishabh trained as a gymnast. Although he looks large, he is quite agile, and he does have a lot of flexibility. And, that's why he's been doing those somersaults of late. It's a well-practised and perfected move – unnecessary though," Dr Pardiwala Pardiwala told The Telegraph.. Pant was involved in a near-fatal car crash in December 2022, which kept him out of the game until the 2024 IPL Notably, Pant survived a near-fatal car crash on the Delhi-Dehradun highway in December 2022 when he was going to meet his family in Dehradun. His speeding car crashed into a divider and caught fire before Pant was taken to the hospital in a serious condition by two onlookers. He was initially admitted to Dehradun and had to be airlifted to Mumbai, where Pardiwala did his surgeries. Recalling the incident, Pant's surgeon said that the Indian-wicketkeeper was lucky to be alive and he is a much more mature human being now. "He recognises the fact that he was extremely lucky to be alive. He's so motivated as a cricketer. If you knew the Rishabh before this happened, he's a much more mature human being," said Pardiwala. "He's very philosophical now. He appreciates life and everything that goes around it. That typically happens to anyone who's faced death in the face. Someone who's had a near-death experience often gets life into perspective," he added. The India wicketkeeper-batter did extensive rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy and recovered quicker than anticipated. He returned to competitive cricket with the 2024 Indian Premier League season.
Hindustan Times
11 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Old warrior Jadeja's spin hits the rough in England
MUMBAI: It's certainly not a good time for those seasoned players who formed the nucleus of the India side since Sachin Tendulkar retired in 2013. With Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar in the squad, Ravindra Jadeja needs to do far better as a left-arm spinner. (Reuters) In the current transitional phase, the senior pros one by one have walked into the sunset, Virat Kohli following Rohit Sharma and R Ashwin into retirement while Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara have been out of favour for more than two seasons. When India last played in England, 2021, they were all in the playing XI, including Mohammed Shami, who is now battling fitness issues. From among those who made their Test debut before 2015, only a couple remain – Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul. Rahul, 33, is going strong but the scrutiny is on Jadeja, 36, who made his debut in 2012. With Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar in the squad, Jadeja needs to do far better as a left-arm spinner than he did in the first Test at Headingley to stay relevant in India's new era under young skipper Shubman Gill. In the Leeds Test, Jadeja was the sole spinner. He picked up just one wicket across the two innings and wasn't effective with the ball. He failed to consistently target the rough outside left-hander Ben Duckett's off-stump on the fifth day, and the opener (61 & 149) plundered runs at will. In the first innings, his figures read 0/68 in 23 overs. It was his bowling in the second innings that came for sharp criticism after going for 1/104 in 24 overs. He is known for doing a holding role to help build pressure, which he couldn't do effectively. Though Jadeja was the preferred option over R Ashwin when India went in with a lone spinner overseas, his selection was mainly owing to his batting. His bowling record in England has been average – 23 wickets in 11 Tests. Pressure has been mounting on Jadeja for some time now. It started with the series against New Zealand late last year when Indian spinners were out-performed by the visitors during the 0-3 whitewash at home. Jadeja's lack of wickets in the second Test at Pune was glaring, going wicketless in the first innings as India were routed by his NZ counterpart, Mitchell Santner, with 13 wickets. Jadeja came back well in the third Test for a 10-wicket match haul. It felt like he was back to his best. At the Wankhede Stadium, he couldn't help the team win, but the ball came out nicely from his hand as he extracted bite and turn. The joy was short-lived. He was dismissal in the Australia series that followed, taking four wickets in three Tests. India lost the series 1-3. It can be argued that spinners have a limited role to play in English conditions, but there have been match-winning performances by the spin tribe, especially in the last innings with the wear and tear of the pitch being a factor. India's former leg-spin giant Anil Kumble played a dominating role in the 2002 victory in Leeds, taking four wickets in the second innings for a seven-wicket match haul. Former left-arm spinner Maninder Singh had played a starring role in the second Test of the 1986 series at Leeds, claiming 4/26 as five wickets were taken by spinners, including one by Ravi Shastri, as England were all out for 128 in the second innings to lose the game by 279 runs. So, what's the key to doing well on venues like Leeds? For Maninder, it was not being too eager for wickets and concentrating on bowling well. 'I used to love bowling on good batting tracks. Even if I didn't get many wickets, it could curtail a batter (on a good wicket) and it used to give me a lot of satisfaction. So, I was not really running after wickets, that also helped, I think. I was only thinking of bowling well. I was only thinking of enjoying the ball coming out of my hand, which didn't put any pressure on me,' recollects Maninder, who picked 12 wickets in the three-match series. 'From the very first game, I realised what I needed to do for the ball to swerve how much far outside the off-stump, from where I had to deliver it from my hand. Luckily, I was in a kind of form that it didn't take me too long to understand what I needed to do,' says Maninder. India have started off their five-match series against England on a losing note. The team will look to level the series when they face the hosts in the second Test from July 2 at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham. There's surely some help for the spinners at the venue if they know how to use it. For inspiration, Jadeja would do well to look at the record of his former captain at Rajasthan Royals, the late Shane Warne, at the venue. In just four Tests, the Australia legend has 25 wickets at Edgbaston, including three fifers and one 10-wicket haul. It shows that though conditions favour the pacers more in England, if you have the quality and smarts, spinners have a role to play. The inexperienced India need their seasoned pro Jadeja to find his best.
