Ilia Topuria will fight for the UFC lightweight title
Ilia Topuria, known for his impressive career in mixed martial arts, will have his first opportunity for the championship in the UFC lightweight division. The announcement was made by UFC CEO Dana White, confirming that Topuria will face Charles Oliveira for the vacant 155-pound title.
The UFC 317 event, which will take place on June 29 in Las Vegas, will mark Topuria’s debut in this weight class. The news has generated great expectation among fans, who are eager to see the performance of the Spanish fighter in this new stage.
The current champion, Islam Makhachev, will vacate his belt to move up to the welterweight division and face Jack Della Maddalena for a second title at a later date.
On June 29th, another dream will come true. I will be the champion of the lightweight division. Charles, my apologies in advance. I’m just fighting for my dreams. It’s a shame that Makhachev has run away.
Ilia Topuria
In addition to the main event, the UFC 317 event will feature the flyweight title defense by Alexandre Pantoja, who will face Kai Kara-France in the co-main event.
Topuria, after defending his 145-pound title at the beginning of this year, decided to move up to the lightweight division. His previous title fights were against Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway, whom he knocked out in 2024.
For his part, Oliveira seeks to regain the belt he lost to Makhachev in 2022. He comes to this fight after a decision victory against Michael Chandler in November.
