UFC 317 Main Event: Topuria vs. Oliveira for Lightweight Belt After Makhachev Pursues Welterweight Title

Ilia Topuria`s route to achieving lightweight supremacy will not involve a bout against Islam Makhachev, as initially conjectured.

Following Topuria`s decision to vacate his featherweight championship this past February, speculation arose about a potential matchup between him and Makhachev, two of the sport`s top pound-for-pound talents, possibly for Makhachev`s 155-pound belt. However, the scenario changed significantly when Belal Muhammad, a training partner of Makhachev, lost the welterweight title to Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315. This outcome unexpectedly cleared a path for Makhachev to make his own attempt at becoming a two-division champion.

This new direction became official with UFC CEO Dana White`s announcement on Tuesday. White confirmed that Makhachev is slated to challenge Della Maddalena for the welterweight title at an upcoming event, the details of which are yet to be finalized. Consequently, Ilia Topuria is now set to headline UFC 317 on June 28, where he will compete against Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight championship.

While few would dispute that both the planned Makhachev vs. Della Maddalena and Topuria vs. Oliveira contests represent compelling title fights, it`s understandable to wonder if the highly anticipated potential clash between Makhachev and Topuria, which is now off the table, represents a missed opportunity for a superfight.