UFC 317 Headlined by Topuria vs. Oliveira for Vacant Lightweight Belt After Makhachev Shifts Focus

UFC President Dana White has finally confirmed the main event for the promotion`s International Fight Week, ending months of anticipation.

Despite UFC 317 being just six weeks away, the event previously lacked a headliner until tonight`s announcement. It has now been officially confirmed that Ilia Topuria will compete against Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight championship.

The co-main event will feature a flyweight title rematch between Alexandre Pantoja and Kai Kara-France, who previously met in the semi-finals of The Ultimate Fighter 24. The stacked pay-per-view card is also set to include the return of Paulo Costa, facing Roman Kopylov.

Dana White Announces UFC 317 Main Event Unexpectedly

Tonight, UFC CEO Dana White made a sudden announcement regarding the main event for UFC 317, scheduled for June 28 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. White is known for spontaneously sharing major fight news via social media platforms like Instagram Live, and this occasion was no different.

He confirmed that Ilia Topuria will make his much-anticipated lightweight debut against former world champion Charles Oliveira. Oliveira steps in following a change in plans; Islam Makhachev was originally slated to defend the lightweight belt in a champion-versus-champion clash, but the Russian has now agreed to challenge for the welterweight title instead.

There were also rumors circulating about a potential middleweight title fight between Dricus Du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev. However, that bout appears to be reserved for later in the year, despite both fighters having publicly indicated their willingness to compete.

Topuria Moves Up to Lightweight After Vacating Featherweight Title

After capturing the featherweight title from Alexander Volkanovski last year, Ilia Topuria successfully defended his belt against Max Holloway at UFC 308. Although he initially had a face-off with Volkanovski immediately after the defense to promote a potential rematch, he has since abandoned that idea.

Instead, he decided to move up in weight to pursue Islam Makhachev and the lightweight title. However, Makhachev is now focused on challenging Jack Della Maddalena for the welterweight belt, a fighter who recently defeated Makhachev`s teammate Belal Muhammad on Saturday night.

Ilia Topuria is expected to be a relatively smaller lightweight upon his move, having even competed for a bantamweight belt earlier in his career in Cage Warriors. Nevertheless, holding an undefeated record in MMA, he expresses confidence that his power will effectively carry up to the new division.