Ilia Topuria’s stunning UFC run continued on Saturday, as he knocked Charles Oliveira out cold to become a two-weight champion.
In the main event of UFC 317, Topuria, who vacated the featherweight title in February, faced Oliveira for the vacant lightweight belt and finished the former champion in round one.
After a frantic opening few minutes, in which both men landed in the striking exchanges and demonstrated grappling prowess in other moments, Topuria floored Oliveira with a right cross and left hook, leaving the Brazilian staring up at the lights in Las Vegas.
Oliveira, 35, walked onto Topuria’s right hand and was seemingly unconscious even before the left hook landed. “Do Bronx”, who held the 155lb title from 2021 until 2022, crumpled to the canvas and was pummeled with one more shot before referee Marc Goddard could step in.
Topuria’s victory kept the Spanish-Georgian unbeaten and saw him enter a small club of two-weight UFC champions. The 28-year-old knocked out Alexander Volkanovski last February to win the featherweight belt, before doing the same to Max Holloway in October to retain the gold. He then relinquished it this February, eyeing a move up to 155lb.
Some fans felt that Topuria’s victories over Volkanovski and Holloway were the greatest back-to-back wins ever recorded by a UFC fighter. Volkanovski is seen by some as the best featherweight in UFC history, while Holloway is also a former champion and modern great. And Topuria, who predicted that he would knock out both men, dealt Oliveira the same fate after making a similarly prophetic call.
After “El Matador” collected the lightweight title on Saturday (28 June), his quasi-rival Paddy Pimblett was called into the cage by UFC announcer Joe Rogan.
In 2022, “Paddy The Baddy” and Topuria were involved in an altercation at the fighter hotel ahead of UFC London, with the latter taking exception to seemingly anti-Georgian tweets by the Liverpudlian.
“We have some f*****g p***y [at ringside],” Topuria said in the T-Mobile Arena on Saturday. “Whoever is ready for me, I’m here. I don’t think he’s gonna accept it, but if he thinks he’s ready, come on, you p***y.”
“That was a heavy knockout, I’ll give you that,” Pimblett responded after entering the Octagon. “Respect, but you will never knock me out.”
“You’ll get knocked out even before the fight,” Topuria laughed, before appearing to shove Pimblett, who is ranked eighth at lightweight.
In the co-main event, Alexandre Pantoja recorded a fourth successful defence of his flyweight title, submitting Kai Kara-France in round two.
