Overview

• Ilia Topuria fulfilled his prophecy by dispatching Charles Oliveira in 2:27 of round one at UFC 317 to claim the vacant lightweight title.
• The undefeated Georgian-Spanish phenom became a two-division UFC champion after vacating featherweight gold to move up to 155 pounds in February.
• Following the knockout, Topuria’s Octagon interview call-out drew Paddy Pimblett into the cage and ignited a face-off that UFC president Dana White condemned as a safety breach.
• Dustin Poirier lauded Topuria’s knockout power from 145 to 170 pounds while Team Khabib coach Javier Mendez tipped Jack Della Maddalena as Islam Makhachev’s stiffer challenge.
• UFC insiders are eyeing Pimblett or Justin Gaethje for Topuria’s first title defense, and Topuria says he’s open to but uncertain about a future clash with Islam Makhachev.