In what is arguably the biggest UFC bout of 2025, ex-featherweight champ Ilia Topuria and former-lightweight champ Charles Oliveira of Brazil clash for the vacant 155-pound (70-kilogramme) title at UFC 317.
Topuria, who is unbeaten, vacated his featherweight title earlier this year to move up to lightweight class with the original intension of fighting fellow superstar Islam Makhachev, ranked by ESPN as the best pound-for-pound UFC fighter in the world; Topuria is ranked number two.
Instead, the Georgian-Spaniard will now face another formidable opponent in the form of Oliveira, who holds multiple UFC records for most submission wins at 16, most finishes at 20 and most bonuses at 20.
Here is all to know ahead of the Topuria-Oliveira bout:
When and where is UFC 317?
- UFC 317 is scheduled to take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday.
- The venue has a seating capacity of 20,000 for UFC events.
- The main card is scheduled to begin at 02:00 GMT on Sunday (7pm PT / 9pm CT / 10pm ET on Saturday, 4am CEST on Sunday).
- The ring walk for Topuria-Oliveira will occur at about 04:00 GMT (9pm PT / 11pm CT /12am ET on Saturday, 6am CEST on Sunday), and the headline fight will start shortly thereafter.
Why isn’t Topuria fighting Makhachev for the UFC lightweight title?
Makhachev vs Topuria would undoubtedly have been one of the greatest draws in UFC history – and it might still happen in the future.
Makhachev, who sports a stupendous 27-1 UFC record and is a four-time lightweight champion, announced in May that he would vacate his title and move up a weight class to the welterweight division to face newly-crowned title holder, Jack Della Maddalena. The date for that fight has yet to be announced.
Topuria, who relinquished his 145-pound (66kg) featherweight title earlier this year and had publicly expressed his desire to fight Makhachev at the heavier lightweight classification, initially voiced his displeasure at the champion vacating his title belt on May 13, accusing the Russian of running away from the challenge.
However, in a recent interview on The Ariel Helwani podcast, Topuria said he understood the reasons behind Makhachev’s decision.
“I don’t think he [Makhachev] is ducking me, to be honest,” Topuria said. “I would be lying to you if I told you that he’s ducking me. I think he’s tired of the weight cut [at lightweight division]. He wants a new challenge. He moved to the welterweight division. He feels and he thinks that he has a chance to become a double champion. I think that this is all he’s trying to do.”
How can Topuria win?
Topuria’s overall technical fighting talent and boxing capabilities are legendary, so Oliveira will need to be wary of trading blows with the powerful 28-year-old in the Octagon.
In 2024, Topuria sensationally knocked out two former all-time great UFC champions – Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway – to establish his dominance in a stacked featherweight division.
“Skill for skill, he might be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world … all of his opponents have stood toe-to-toe, and all have fallen,” said MMA commentator Alan Jouban on ESPN.
“He [Topuria] will finish upstairs, and he’s got power that puts you to sleep,” added Jouban.
6 days 🌹 pic.twitter.com/g877zuSzMX
How can Oliveira win?
If Oliveira can win back the vacant lightweight belt on Saturday, he’ll deny Topuria joining a short list of legendary two-division champions.
Oliveira is one of the greatest lightweights of all-time and Topuria – a supremely-confident competitor – cannot make the mistake of underestimating the Sao Paulo native’s contrasting skillset.
The 35-year-old’s path to victory lies in his sublime ability to grapple with opponents. Oliveira’s ground game is impressive, and his 16 wins by submission – in a variety of ways – make him both a tricky and dangerous opponent for Topuria.
“I think, for Charles [Oliveira], he’s got to be in all the way or all the way out and try to force some grappling … he needs to get on top, he needs to make him [Topuria] wrestle. We haven’t seen [Topuria] have to do that much in the UFC yet,” said Paul Felder, former MMA fighter and current UFC commentator at ESPN.
Oliveira also has advantages in height (1.78m vs 1.7m) and reach (1.88m vs 1.75m), although el Matador, famously known for his strength in the featherweight division, will likely have a power advantage against the Brazilian, despite moving up a weight class.
Topuria Stats:
Topuria has a perfect 16-0 UFC record.
His last fight was at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on October 26, where he made good on his bold promise to become the first man to knock out Holloway.
“To beat a legend like Max Holloway, I don’t know what to say,” Topuria said at the time. “He’s been a great example for the generation. … I hope I’m gonna be a small example he has been for me for the new generation.”
- Age: 28
- Height: 5′ 7″ (1.7m)
- Reach: 69 inches (1.75m)
- Total fights: 16
- Record: 16-0-0
Oliveria Stats:
Oliveira has a professional record of 35 wins and 10 losses, with one no-contest decision.
He endured a slow start to his career, winning only two of his first seven fights while fluctuating between different weight classes.
From 2018 to 2021, ‘Do Bronx’ reeled off a superlative 11-fight win streak that culminated in him being crowned the UFC lightweight champion after defeating Michael Chandler in the title bout.
He lost the lightweight title to Makhachev on October 22, 2022, when the Russian pulled off a sensational head-and-arm choke submission in the second round at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi.
- Age: 35
- Height: 5′ 10″ (1.78m)
- Reach: 74 inches (1.88m)
- Total fights: 46
- Record: 35-10-0 (1 NC)
What have Topuria, Oliveira said about the fight?
Topuria: “You can never count him out because he’s a dangerous guy,” Topuria said of Oliveira. “He has the most finishes in the UFC’s history. But I have faced those kind of situations many, many times, with [Alexander] Volkanovski, with Max Holloway”, he said.
“The skill development I’m bringing to this sport, they’ve never felt it, they never saw it. So this is what’s going to happen with Charles. He thinks that he has some opportunities, but the reality is that he [does] not. The only thing he has to do is show up, and I’ll do the rest.”
“I’m going to finish him in the first round”, Topuria added.
Oliveira: “In reality, I’m not very focused on what [Topuria] has been doing, but [rather] on what we can get and take,” he said.
“We are more than prepared for this fight. [Topuria] is a tough opponent, but I know the firepower I have in my hands.
“I’ll go all in, I have a promise to be fulfilled, and I’m going to get this belt.”
Who is fighting in the co-main event?
A second UFC title is at stake in the co-main event when Brazil’s Alexandre Pantoja takes on Kai Kara-France for the flyweight championship.
Pantoja, the reigning flyweight champion, is defending his title against the dynamic striking New Zealander nine years after the pair first clashed in an Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions bout.
Pantoja won the first fight back in 2016 but its fair to say both competitors have progressed substantially since then.
Main fight card
- Lightweight (title) – Ilia Topuria vs Charles Oliveira
- Flyweight (title) – Alexandre Pantoja vs Kai Kara-France
- Lightweight – Beneil Dariush vs Renato Moicano
- Flyweight – Brandon Royval vs Joshua Van
- Middleweight – Paulo Costa vs Roman Kopylov
How to watch
UFC Fight Pass is a global service, available in most countries outside of Brazil. The app is available on web, smartphones, tablets and Smart TVs. You can also find it on the Apple Store and Google Play.
In the US, UFC 317: Topuria vs Oliveira will be broadcast live on ESPN PPV, with streaming available via the ESPN+ app.
In India, Sony LIV will broadcast UFC 317.
In the UK, TNT Sports and Discovery+ will livestream the event.
Source: Aljazeera
Leave a Reply