Spain’s Ilia Topuria scored a stunning first-round knockout victory over Charles Oliveira to claim the UFC lightweight title at UFC 317, with Alexandre Pantoja securing a third-round submission win over Kai Kara-France to retain the flyweight title in the co-main event.
Topuria used a sharp right hand to set up a devastating left hook that dropped Oliveira to end the bout at the 2:27 mark of the opening round, fulfilling his prediction of a first-round KO while sending the crowd of 19,800 into a frenzy.
“I think tonight was his big night,” UFC president Dana White said. “We have a star on our hands.”
Fellow lightweight Paddy Pimblett was in the audience and was summoned to the ring, where a heated exchange led to Topuria shoving the eighth-ranked contender and igniting a rivalry from years ago.
“Let’s fight! If you’re ready, I’m here,” Topuria said to Pimblett before he entered the ring.
Former featherweight champ Topuria announced in February that he was going to step up to the 155-pound division to fight for the belt vacated by former champ Islam Makhachev’s move up to the welterweight division.
Standing between him and the title was 35-year-old Brazilian former lightweight champion Oliveira, who briefly brought his vast experience to bear before being defeated.
After a dominant run at featherweight that saw him move to 16-0 as a professional, Topuria, who was born in Germany to Georgian parents, looked small in the cage compared to Oliveira, but he defended well against the Brazilian’s grappling before showcasing his striking power.
Oliveira, who was stripped of the lightweight belt in May 2022 when he missed the weight for a defence against Justin Gaethje, looked good during a brief exchange on the mat, but Topuria disengaged to bring the fight back to the feet, and shortly afterwards Oliveira’s evening ended.
The 28-year-old stunned Oliveira with a right hook and followed it up with a crunching left that sent Oliveira crashing to the mat, his eyes glazed as his back hit the canvas as Topuria fulfilled his pre-fight prediction of a first-round knockout win.
“I already said it – I represent the new generation of the mix of martial arts, this is the next level of the game. This is the next thing, and this is what I represent,” Topuria said in a post-fight interview. “I did exactly what we had planned, lot of jabs, right hand, left hook, and boom – his lights were out.”
In the co-main event, Brazil’s Pantoja dominated New Zealander Kara-France before taking his back and locking in a rear naked choke 1:55 into the third round,
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
PSG vs Inter Miami live updates: Lionel Messi in line to start Club World Cup last-16 tie
Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, AtlantaCapacity: 75,000Team(s): Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United FCOf all the Club World Cup venues, Mercedes-Benz Stadium is the most eye-catching. Its enormous halo board and pinwheel-designed retractable roof are major features of the massive NFL structure.Frankly, there isn’t a bad seat in the house. One thing fans like most about MBS is that the stadium’s food is among the most affordable in the U.S. Hot dogs, soft drinks and popcorn are all $2. In this economy, that’s a dream.MBS is the home of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and MLS’s Atlanta United. Its location in downtown Atlanta, close to a plethora of hotels and restaurants and Centennial Olympic Park, makes MBS an ideal venue for big events. How to get there using public transportation: MARTA, a citywide rail and bus system, provides two stops on the stadium’s doorstep. The […]
Tiktok-Tanz vor Wimbledon – Tennis-Queens schwingen die Hüften
Wir haben personalisierte Videos für dich! Um mit Inhalten von Drittanbietern zu interagieren oder diese darzustellen, brauchen wir deine Zustimmung. externen Inhalt aktivieren Um eingebettete Inhalte anzuzeigen, ist Ihre jederzeit widerrufliche Einwilligung (über den Schalter oder über " Widerruf Tracking und Cookies " am Seitenende) zur Verarbeitung personenbezogener Daten nötig. Dabei können Daten in Drittländer wie die USA übermittelt werden (Art. 49 Abs. 1 lit. a DSGVO). Mit dem Aktivieren des Inhalts stimmen Sie zu. Weitere Infos finden Sie hier.
Twins could mull options after Bailey Ober ties team record with 14 homers allowed in June
DETROIT — The hard hits keep coming for Bailey Ober, who surrendered a team-record 14 home runs in June, including four more on Saturday afternoon.The Detroit Tigers shredded a pitcher who’s earned a reputation as one of the Twins’ steadiest in a 10-5 contest in front of 33,780 at Comerica Park. Not only does the 14 homers allowed match Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven’s Twins club mark set in May 1986, Ober is tied with five other pitchers for the second-most homers yielded in a calendar month in the history of Major League Baseball.AdvertisementThe latest poor outing sent the Twins to their seventh straight loss with Ober on the mound and made homers from Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa moot. It’s also likely to keep Twins decision-makers busy the next few days mulling how long they can keep starting Ober, […]
Palmeiras tem desfalques de Gómez e Piquerez e muda escalação contra o Chelsea pelo Mundial de Clubes
Gómez é um dos desfalques do Palmeiras no Mundial de Clubes (foto: Cesar Greco/SEP)Depois de eliminar o Botafogo, o Palmeiras enfrenta o Chelsea, em jogo válido pela fase quartas de final do Mundial de Clubes da Fifa. O Verdão terá pelo menos duas mudanças no time titular. Isso porque Gustavo Gómez foi expulso depois de acumular duas advertências por cartão amarelo. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADEO defensor não é o único desfalque palmeirense. Além dele, o lateral-esquerdo Piquerez também não joga. É mais um suspenso. Murilo foi diagnosticado com uma lesão muscular e está fora do campeonato.“É um sentimento de amargura por estar fora, mas estou muito confiante porque os 11 que o Abel (Ferrereira, técnico do Palmeiras) vai escalar estarão preparados. Isso ficou demonstrado com as substituições. É torcer e apoiar todo o elenco no próximo jogo”, declarou Piquerez. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADEAbel ainda vai […]
Finals day: Miguel Pupo vence Yago Dora e avança às semifinais em Saquarema
O domingo começou com vitória brasileira nas quartas de final do Vivo Rio Pro, etapa de Saquarema do Circuito Mundial de Surfe. Miguel Pupo superou Yago Dora em um confronto direto e garantiu vaga entre os quatro melhores da etapa brasileira da WSL. Com notas 6,50 e 5,83, o paulista somou 12,33 e deixou o catarinense para trás com um total de 10,30. A diferença foi de 2,03 pontos. O duelo foi equilibrado, mas Pupo soube administrar a vantagem depois de encontrar sua melhor onda logo no início da disputa. Yago respondeu com notas 5,30 e 5,00, insuficientes para ameaçar de fato o adversário. Ele precisava de 7,03 pontos para virar o confronto, mas não encontrou uma onda com potencial suficiente até o fim da bateria. Com o resultado, Miguel Pupo garante vaga na semifinal e segue em busca de […]
Spain’s Bonmati discharged from hospital after being treated for viral meningitis
Spain midfielder Aitana Bonmati has been discharged from hospital after being treated for viral meningitis just days before the start of Euro 2025.With the tournament scheduled to start on Wednesday, the 27-year-old Barcelona player will join her national team's training camp in the coming days. World champions Spain begin their campaign on Thursday with a Group B fixture against Portugal in Bern.Bonmati, who has won the Ballon d'Or for the past two years, was absent for her country's 3-1 friendly win over Japan on Friday.She posted a picture on Instagram of herself watching the match, which was played in the Spanish city of Leganes, from a hospital bed. Spreaker This content is provided by Spreaker, which may be using cookies and other technologies. To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies. You can use the buttons […]
Related
PSG vs Inter Miami live updates: Lionel Messi in line to start Club World Cup last-16 tie
Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, AtlantaCapacity: 75,000Team(s): Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United FCOf all the Club World Cup venues, Mercedes-Benz Stadium is the most eye-catching. Its enormous halo board and pinwheel-designed retractable roof are major features of the massive NFL structure.Frankly, there isn’t a bad seat in the house. One thing fans like most about MBS is that the stadium’s food is among the most affordable in the U.S. Hot dogs, soft drinks and popcorn are all $2. In this economy, that’s a dream.MBS is the home of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and MLS’s Atlanta United. Its location in downtown Atlanta, close to a plethora of hotels and restaurants and Centennial Olympic Park, makes MBS an ideal venue for big events. How to get there using public transportation: MARTA, a citywide rail and bus system, provides two stops on the stadium’s doorstep. The […]
Tiktok-Tanz vor Wimbledon – Tennis-Queens schwingen die Hüften
Wir haben personalisierte Videos für dich! Um mit Inhalten von Drittanbietern zu interagieren oder diese darzustellen, brauchen wir deine Zustimmung. externen Inhalt aktivieren Um eingebettete Inhalte anzuzeigen, ist Ihre jederzeit widerrufliche Einwilligung (über den Schalter oder über " Widerruf Tracking und Cookies " am Seitenende) zur Verarbeitung personenbezogener Daten nötig. Dabei können Daten in Drittländer wie die USA übermittelt werden (Art. 49 Abs. 1 lit. a DSGVO). Mit dem Aktivieren des Inhalts stimmen Sie zu. Weitere Infos finden Sie hier.
Twins could mull options after Bailey Ober ties team record with 14 homers allowed in June
DETROIT — The hard hits keep coming for Bailey Ober, who surrendered a team-record 14 home runs in June, including four more on Saturday afternoon.The Detroit Tigers shredded a pitcher who’s earned a reputation as one of the Twins’ steadiest in a 10-5 contest in front of 33,780 at Comerica Park. Not only does the 14 homers allowed match Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven’s Twins club mark set in May 1986, Ober is tied with five other pitchers for the second-most homers yielded in a calendar month in the history of Major League Baseball.AdvertisementThe latest poor outing sent the Twins to their seventh straight loss with Ober on the mound and made homers from Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa moot. It’s also likely to keep Twins decision-makers busy the next few days mulling how long they can keep starting Ober, […]
Palmeiras tem desfalques de Gómez e Piquerez e muda escalação contra o Chelsea pelo Mundial de Clubes
Gómez é um dos desfalques do Palmeiras no Mundial de Clubes (foto: Cesar Greco/SEP)Depois de eliminar o Botafogo, o Palmeiras enfrenta o Chelsea, em jogo válido pela fase quartas de final do Mundial de Clubes da Fifa. O Verdão terá pelo menos duas mudanças no time titular. Isso porque Gustavo Gómez foi expulso depois de acumular duas advertências por cartão amarelo. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADEO defensor não é o único desfalque palmeirense. Além dele, o lateral-esquerdo Piquerez também não joga. É mais um suspenso. Murilo foi diagnosticado com uma lesão muscular e está fora do campeonato.“É um sentimento de amargura por estar fora, mas estou muito confiante porque os 11 que o Abel (Ferrereira, técnico do Palmeiras) vai escalar estarão preparados. Isso ficou demonstrado com as substituições. É torcer e apoiar todo o elenco no próximo jogo”, declarou Piquerez. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADEAbel ainda vai […]
Finals day: Miguel Pupo vence Yago Dora e avança às semifinais em Saquarema
O domingo começou com vitória brasileira nas quartas de final do Vivo Rio Pro, etapa de Saquarema do Circuito Mundial de Surfe. Miguel Pupo superou Yago Dora em um confronto direto e garantiu vaga entre os quatro melhores da etapa brasileira da WSL. Com notas 6,50 e 5,83, o paulista somou 12,33 e deixou o catarinense para trás com um total de 10,30. A diferença foi de 2,03 pontos. O duelo foi equilibrado, mas Pupo soube administrar a vantagem depois de encontrar sua melhor onda logo no início da disputa. Yago respondeu com notas 5,30 e 5,00, insuficientes para ameaçar de fato o adversário. Ele precisava de 7,03 pontos para virar o confronto, mas não encontrou uma onda com potencial suficiente até o fim da bateria. Com o resultado, Miguel Pupo garante vaga na semifinal e segue em busca de […]
Spain’s Bonmati discharged from hospital after being treated for viral meningitis
Spain midfielder Aitana Bonmati has been discharged from hospital after being treated for viral meningitis just days before the start of Euro 2025.With the tournament scheduled to start on Wednesday, the 27-year-old Barcelona player will join her national team's training camp in the coming days. World champions Spain begin their campaign on Thursday with a Group B fixture against Portugal in Bern.Bonmati, who has won the Ballon d'Or for the past two years, was absent for her country's 3-1 friendly win over Japan on Friday.She posted a picture on Instagram of herself watching the match, which was played in the Spanish city of Leganes, from a hospital bed. Spreaker This content is provided by Spreaker, which may be using cookies and other technologies. To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies. You can use the buttons […]
Be the first to leave a comment