Ilia Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) vacated his UFC Featherweight Championship on Feb. 19 of this 12 months, a trip that grew to become efficient as soon as the UFC 314 principal occasion started on April 12. On the time of the announcement, UFC CEO Dana White talked about the reasoning behind Topuria’s transfer.
“[Ilia] Topuria felt like he’s accomplished all he can in that division,” White started “and he seems like he’s cemented his legacy and his physique can’t make the burden anymore, so Topuria will likely be shifting as much as 155-lb and will likely be vacating the title.”
Subsequent to that, Dana White mentioned that the UFC would reveal who Ilia Topuria would face for his first combat at light-weight since 2022 in the end. Finally, a June 28 combat date versus Charles Oliveira (35-11, 1 NC MMA, 23-11, 1 NC UFC) was confirmed by the promotion for the UFC 317 principal occasion, the finale of the UFC’s 2025 Worldwide Combat Week.
Ilia Topuria’s Query Answered in UFC 317 Principal Occasion
Within the days main as much as UFC 317 from the T-Cellular Area in Enterprise, NV, Topuria made it clear to the whole world that his gameplan for final Saturday night time was a easy one, “Search and destroy.”
“What do you favor, submitting him or knocking him out?”, Topuria contemplated in a put up on his Instagram account. Statistically, the query that Ilia Topuria requested may be backed up by the truth that he had 14 wins earlier than the ultimate horn blared forward of UFC 317.
Final Saturday night, Enterprise, NV was the host metropolis for what ultimately grew to become Topuria’s fifteenth profession end. The principle occasion of the night was scheduled for an marketed most of 5 rounds at 5 minutes per spherical, however he solely wanted lower than half of 1 spherical of motion to move his newest check with flying colours.
Upon Ilia Topuria taking Oliveira down, he rapidly superior to facet management earlier than Oliveira tried a leg lock. however Topuria fought his method out of the maintain. From there, Topuria kicked the leg of a grounded Charles Oliveira earlier than referee Marc Goddard ordered Oliveira to rise.
Ilia Topuria Makes Charles Oliveira Pay
After the restart, Topuria scored with a quick flurry of punches, forcing Charles Oliveira to go to the clinch, an effort that was ill-fated resulting from Ilia Topuria rapidly breaking free. Whereas Oliveira landed an uppercut about two minutes and 20 seconds into the combat, it might rapidly change into clear that Saturday was to be the previous’s night time contained in the well-known Octagon.
Topuria landed a vicious mixture of a proper hook adopted by a left hook to drop “Do Bronx” on the canvas earlier than ending off the combat, and by extension, the night as a complete throughout UFC 317, with a few floor strikes earlier than Marc Goddard rushed into name a halt to the competition.
“A person of his phrase!”, exclaimed UFC blow-by-blow commentator Jon Anik on the UFC 317 principal card pay-per-view Saturday night time, “and now the brand new UFC Light-weight Champion, Ilia ‘El Matador’ Topuria!”
Ilia Topuria Has Paddy Pimblett in Thoughts for Future Contest
Within the rapid aftermath of the UFC 317 principal occasion on Saturday night, Ilia Topuria referred to as Paddy Pimblett (23-3 MMA, 7-0 UFC) over from the viewers into the Octagon to problem him to a combat and a shove.
Though Paddy Pimblett won’t be Ilia Topuria’s subsequent foe contained in the cage, with Pimblett leaked to be combating on Noche UFC in September versus Dricus du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC) throughout that night time’s co-headlining affair, a combat between the 2 males could be a juicy affair if and in the case of move.
“That was a heavy knockout,” Pimblett instructed Topuria, “I’ll provide you with that respect, however you’ll by no means knock me out. You can’t knock me out! You understand you’ll be able to’t knock me out! You understand I don’t get knocked out!”
Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett have a rivalry between them. Again in 2022, throughout the run-up to the UFC London card, the 2 fighters practically acquired right into a bodily altercation on the opponents’ resort.
Last Ideas
Though an Ilia Topuria vs. Paddy Pimblett combat might want to look ahead to proper now, the brand new light-weight champion has confirmed one factor all through his 17-fight profession as knowledgeable: He’s robust as nails when the cage door slams shut on any given Saturday night time.
Whoever Topuria faces subsequent, wherever on the planet it occurs to be, you must get your popcorn prepared on combat night time. It’ll be a most superior scrap.
