Ilia Topuria has secured his shot at the lightweight championship.
UFC CEO Dana White revealed on Tuesday via Instagram Live that Topuria is scheduled to face Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight belt in the main event of UFC 317. This highly anticipated fight will take place on June 28 in Las Vegas, concluding International Fight Week. The title became vacant after Islam Makhachev relinquished it to move up to the welterweight division and challenge the new champion, Jack Della Maddalena.
According to White, the date and location for the Della Maddalena vs. Makhachev bout are still pending. He also announced that flyweight king Alexandre Pantoja will defend his title against Kai Kara-France in the co-main event at UFC 317.
Rumors about Topuria challenging for the lightweight championship have circulated for months. “El Matador” vacated his featherweight title in February, signaling his intention to pursue the lightweight belt, potentially against Islam Makhachev or another top contender. Leading up to UFC 315, much discussion centered on whether a successful title defense by Belal Muhammad (a friend and training partner of Makhachev) in the welterweight division would prevent Makhachev`s move up. However, with Della Maddalena defeating Muhammad, Makhachev is now free to advance a division and vie for that belt.
Topuria (16-0) aims to become a two-division champion. Since joining the UFC in 2020, “El Matador” quickly rose through the ranks, defeating notable opponents like Youssef Zalal, Ryan Hall, Bryce Mitchell, and Josh Emmett on his path to a title shot. He made history at UFC 298 by knocking out Alexander Volkanovski, becoming the first fighter to defeat the Australian star at 145 pounds, and subsequently made history again in his title defense against Max Holloway, becoming the first fighter to knock out “Blessed.”
Immediately after the fight was made official, Topuria commented on social media, taking a jab at Makhachev.
“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”
Oliveira (35-10, 1 NC) is familiar with fighting for a vacant title. He captured the lightweight belt at UFC 262 by defeating Michael Chandler after the retirement of then-champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. “Do Bronx” successfully defended the title once against Dustin Poirier. However, he missed weight for his second scheduled defense and was consequently stripped of the title before going on to submit Justin Gaethje. He had another opportunity to claim a vacant belt at UFC 280 but was decisively defeated by Makhachev.
Pantoja (29-5) vs. Kara-France (25-11, 1 NC) is a rematch, as Pantoja previously defeated “Don’t Blink” when they were participants on The Ultimate Fighter 24. Since that time, Pantoja has won the flyweight title and successfully defended it three times. Kara-France has remained a prominent contender in the 125-pound rankings and earned this title shot after securing a first-round knockout victory over recent title challenger Steve Erceg.
UFC 317 Fight Card Lineup (June 28)
The UFC has released an updated list of planned bouts for the June 28 event at T-Mobile Arena (bout order still to be finalized):
- Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira
- Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Kara-France
- 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