NEWSUFC

UFC 317: Ilia Topuria knocks Charles Oliveira out cold

Ilia Topuria knocked out Charles Oliveira to claim the vacant UFC lightweight championship in the main event of UFC 317 Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

A left hook, a powerful right hand, and a final left from Topuria combined to crumple Oliveira, rendering him unconscious.

Ilia Topuria (17-0), ranked by Uncrowned as the No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter, has rapidly ascended to potential UFC superstardom. The 28-year-old, a Georgian native who calls Spain home, earned this status by knocking out featherweight legends Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway in consecutive fights. He now aims for a second divisional belt, having vacated his 145-pound title to pursue the lightweight championship, which was recently relinquished by Islam Makhachev.

Oliveira, a former featherweight, has an impressive 14-3 record since permanently moving to lightweight in 2017, including a 5-2 standing in main events or five-round fights. After a close split-decision loss to Arman Tsarukyan in a title eliminator, Oliveira (35) earned his way back into contention with a five-round decision win against Michael Chandler last November.

Results:

Man card:

  • Ilia Topuria def. Charles Oliveira via first-round TKO (2:27)
  • Alexandre Pantoja def. Kai Kara-France via sub (RNC) (R3, 1:55) 
  • Joshua Van def. Brandon Royval via unanimous decision (29-28 x2, 30-27)
  • Beneil Dariush def. Renato Moicano via unanimous decision (29-28 x3) 
  • Payton Talbott def. Felipe Lima via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)

Prelims:

  • Gregory Rodrigues def. Jack Hermansson via first-round KO (4:21)
  • Jose Miguel Delgado def. Hyder Amil via first-round KO (0:26) 
  • Tracy Cortez def. Viviane Araujo via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
  • Terrance McKinney def. Viacheslav Borshchev via sub (guillotine) (R1, 0:55) 
  • Jacobe Smith def. Niko Price via submission (rear-naked choke) (R2, 4:03)
  • Jhonata Diniz def. Alvin Hines via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)

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