Former featherweight champion and the second-best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Ilia Topuria, became the 10th person ever to win two UFC belts when he knocked out Charles Oliveira to claim the lightweight title in the first round of their UFC 317 main event on Saturday. His bitter rival, Paddy Pimblett, entered the Octagon from the audience after Topuria got his hand raised. They traded one-liners before Topuria shoved Pimblett and the two were separated. The stage seems already set for Topuria’s first lightweight defense.
Flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja defended his title for a fifth time, stopping Kai Kara-France with a rear-naked choke in the third round of their co-main event. After the win, Joshua Van, who defeated ESPN’s No. 2-ranked flyweight Brandon Royval by unanimous decision earlier in the night, stepped into the cage to face off with Pantoja. All signs point to Van being next up to challenge for Pantoja’s title.
