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Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Sport
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Ilia Topuria KOs Charles Oliveira at UFC 317, Wins Lightweight Belt to Become Two-Division Champion (Video)
Ilia Topuria KOs Charles Oliveira at UFC 317, Wins Lightweight Belt to Become Two-Division Champion (Video) originally appeared on Athlon Sports. In a historic night at UFC 317, Ilia Topuria solidified his place among MMA's elite by knocking out Charles Oliveira in the first round to claim the vacant lightweight title. The undefeated Spaniard, moving up from featherweight, needed just over two minutes to dismantle the former Brazilian champion, becoming the UFC's 10th two-division titleholder in stunning fashion. Advertisement The T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas erupted as Topuria's pinpoint striking proved too much for Oliveira, who had never been finished so quickly in his career. From the opening bell, Topuria showcased the boxing mastery that has defined his meteoric rise. Oliveira attempted an early takedown but was shrugged off by Topuria, who then hip-tossed the Brazilian to the canvas in a display of surprising grappling dominance. Back on the feet, Topuria's jab began to find its mark, setting up the fight-ending sequence. A crushing overhand right followed by a left hook sent Oliveira crashing to the mat, and follow-up hammerfists sealed the deal at 2:27 of Round 1, leaving no doubt about the new king at 155 pounds. Advertisement Here is the finishing sequence: The victory marks Topuria's second UFC title in just 16 months, having previously dethroned Alexander Volkanovski for the featherweight strap before vacating it to pursue lightweight gold. His knockout of Oliveira joins a highlight reel that already includes his aforementioned knockout over Volkanovski, and his iconic third-round stoppage of Max Holloway—the first time Holloway had ever been knocked out in MMA. At 28 years old, Topuria's precision, power, and fight IQ may make him the sport's best pound-for-pound fighter today. "El Matador" silenced doubters with a performance that echoed his pre-fight confidence. Advertisement Topuria also fulfilled his prediction when he said in an interview with Ariel Helwani, 'I'm going to finish him in the first round.' For Oliveira, the loss is a brutal setback in his long and storied career. 'Do Bronx,' who holds the record for most UFC finishes, had no answer for Topuria's speed and power. Topuria's win sparks immediate speculation about his next move. With Islam Makhachev vacating the lightweight belt to chase welterweight gold, potential matchups against contenders like Justin Gaethje or Arman Tsarukyan loom. He also faced off against Paddy Pimblett in the post-fight interview, which is not the most compelling matchup, but it is the fight that the UFC might book in order to boost ratings. Related: Dana White's Latest Update at UFC Press Conference Puts Ilia Topuria's Championship Dreams on the Line Related: UFC Champion Sounds Off on Joe Rogan Podcast: Refuses to Fight Unless Dana White Books Dream Matchup This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 29, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ilia Topuria brutally knocks out Charles Oliveira to win UFC lightweight title
Ilia Topuria was true to his word as he delivered a brutal first-round stoppage of Charles Oliveira to become the new UFC men's lightweight champion. The much-anticipated main event of UFC 317 in Las Vegas on Saturday night lasted barely two-and-a-half minutes as 'El Matador' provided another shuddering reminder of his remarkable power, knocking an already bloodied Oliveira out cold with a devastating right hand, left hook combination before forcing the referee to step in after more heavy blows administered on the ground. The confident Topuria had promised that the fight at T-Mobile Arena would not go beyond the opening round and so it proved as he successfully claimed the 155-pound belt vacated by Islam Makhachev last month following the pound-for-pound king's move to welterweight, becoming only the 10th fighter in UFC history to win titles in two different weight classes. Topuria had previously knocked out Alexander Volkanovski to win the featherweight championship, later becoming the first man to stop Max Holloway in his only defence before relinquishing it and moving back up to lightweight, where had had previously fought just once before in the UFC, citing his struggles to keep making the 145-pound limit. Topuria now appears to be on a collision course with Liverpool's Paddy 'The Baddy' Pimblett, who wants a title shot after his career-best win over Michael Chandler at UFC 314 in Miami in April, with the two men having clashed in the octagon after the former's latest statement victory over Oliveira. Topuria - currently ranked at No3 on the UFC's pound-for-pound list behind only Makhachev and dominant bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili - has achieved double champion status in the UFC in just nine fights, remaining undefeated in his MMA career as a whole at 17-0 with 15 finishes - seven by knockout and eight by submission. For Oliveira, it was a second failed attempt to reclaim the title that was controversially stripped from him on the scales after he came in marginally over the weight for his second scheduled defence against Justin Gaethje in 2022, having been submitted by Makhachev later that year. The Brazilian, who was the No2-ranked lightweight contender, has now lost three of his last five fights, having also been bested by Arman Tsarukyan in between wins over Beneil Dariush and Chandler. In the co-main event of the night, Alexandre Pantoja provided a successful fourth defence of his UFC men's flyweight title with a dominant performance against former Ultimate Fighter rival Kai Kara-France, who was submitted by rear-naked choke in the third round. Pantoja will next defend his belt against Joshua Van, who produced a sublime performance in a pulsating contest to outpoint No1 contender Brandon Royval, despite taking the bout at late notice and having fought once already this month. Dariush bounced back from defeats by Oliveira and Tsarukyan with a vital points win over Renato Moicano, who stepped in late for the injured Tsarukyan to unsuccessfully challenge Makhachev for the lightweight title in January. The main card opened with American bantamweight Payton Talbott bouncing back from his lone career loss to Raoni Barcelos by deservedly defeating Felipe Lima. On an explosive prelim bill, Jack Hermansson was knocked out in the first round against fellow middleweight veteran Gregory Rodrigues, while featherweight Jose Miguel Delgado did likewise to Hyder Amil. Tracy Cortez earned an impressive decision victory over Viviane Araujo in the women's flyweight division, after Terrance McKinney had quickly submitted lightweight rival Viacheslav Borshchev by guillotine choke. Ascending welterweight talent Jacobe Smith submitted Niko Price by rear-naked choke after the night opened with a points win for heavyweight Jhonata Diniz against UFC debutant Alvin Hines.
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dana White: Ilia Topuria vs. Paddy Pimblett faceoff at UFC 317 'should've never happened'
LAS VEGAS – Fight fans got quite the treat with Saturday's UFC 317 card, but the cherry on top of the sundae should've never been served, according to Dana White. Minutes after his main event win, Ilia Topuria squared off with and shoved rival Paddy Pimblett in an impromptu faceoff inside the cage at T-Mobile Arena. White said the photo op would not have been allowed had he still been cageside. Advertisement "I don't know who the hell let him in there," White told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. "That should've never happened. Let's start there. I was already back in my room, or that would've never happened." The post-decision faceoff wasn't the only of its kind Saturday. One fight prior, in the co-main event, Joshua Van entered the cage to square off with UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja. White said that faceoff was approved, and explained the difference. "(Van) is the No. 1 contender, and I just said the winner of that fight will get a title shot, so obviously the fans wanted it, too," White said. "My thing with Topuria is his wife and kid are in the octagon. That's not the fight. It's just, yeah. It shouldn't happen. That's not really what we do. I don't really give a sh*t if it's fun to watch or not. That shouldn't have happened. Plus, he wins a second title in a higher division. It was a bad call by whoever let him in there." Given White's comments and the landscape of the UFC lightweight division, it's unclear if Pimblett (23-3 MMA, 7-0 UFC) will be next for Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC). Top contender Arman Tsarukyan (22-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) weighed in Friday as a backup fighter for the title fight. Seasoned veteran Justin Gaethje (26-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) also has campaigned for a title shot. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Dana White rips Ilia Topuria vs. Paddy Pimblett faceoff at UFC 317
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Fighters react to Alexandre Pantoja's title defense, faceoff with Joshua Van at UFC 317
Alexandre Pantoja continued to assert his dominance over the flyweight division at UFC 317 when he defended his title for a fourth time against Kai Kara-France. Pantoja (30-5 MMA, 14-3 UFC) is adding to his case as an all-time great with each performance. After beating Kara-France (25-12 MMA, 8-5 UFC) an an exhibition bout in 2016, he got it done again on the sport's biggest stage with a second-round submission in the co-headliner at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Advertisement Check below for the top X (formerly Twitter) reactions to Pantoja beating Kara-France in their UFC 317 flyweight title bout. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 317: Fighters react to Pantoja's title win, faceoff with Van
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
UFC 317 video: Gregory Rodrigues scores frightening knockout of Jack Hermansson
Gregory Rodrigues scored a vicious one-punch knockout of Jack Hermansson at UFC 317 that will be the new standard of his highlight reel. In the first round of the middleweight bout Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Rodrigues (17-6 MMA, 8-3 UFC) caught Hermansson (24-9 MMA, 11-7 UFC) with a clean left hand that immediately stiffened him on the canvas. One unnecessary hammerfist sealed the show at the 4:21 mark of Round 1. Advertisement Hermansson was down for several minutes after the knockout blow connected, but eventually got back to his feet and left the octagon under his own power. Check out a replay of the nasty knockout below (via X): "From my last fight (that I lost to Jared Cannonier), I learned a lot about patience," Rodrigues said to Joe Rogan in his post-fight interview. "We're just going to keep going and keep working. One result doesn't tell who you are." Up-to-the-minute UFC 317 results Gregory Rodrigues def. Jack Hermansson via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 4:21 Jose Delgado def. Hyder Amil via knockout (knee and punches) – Round 1, 0:26 Tracy Cortez def. Viviane Araujo via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Terrance McKinney def. Viacheslav Borshchev via submission (mounted guillotine choke) – Round 1, 0:55 Jacobe Smith def. Niko Price via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:03 Jhonata Diniz def. Alvin Hines via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 317 video: Gregory Rodrigues stiffs Jack Hermansson with scary KO
