UFC 317: Ilia Topuria knocks out Charles Oliveira to win lightweight title

IIia Topuria beat Charles Oliveira of Brazil in the main event lightweight title fight at UFC 317, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, US on Sunday.

Topuria delivered on his pre-fight promise to knock his opponent out in the first round to win the title. The eagerly awaited fight ended within two minutes and 27 seconds.

Topuria looked small in the cage compared to Oliveira, but he defended well against the Brazilian’s grappling before showcasing his striking power.

Oliveira looked good during a brief exchange on the mat, but Topuria disengaged to bring the fight back to the feet, and shortly afterwards Oliveira’s evening ended.

The 28-year-old stunned Oliveira with a right hook and followed it up with a crunching left that sent Oliveira crashing to the mat, his eyes glazed as his back hit the canvas as Topuria claimed a stunning win.

“I represent the new generation of mixed martial arts. This is the next level of the game,” said Topuria after the fight.

The Spaniard’s win over Oliveira lifts his career record to an incredible 17-0.

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Earlier in the year, Topuria had relinquished his featherweight world title, to shift to his current weight category.

In the flyweight fight, the co-main event, Alexandre Pantoja secured a third-round submission win over Kai Kara-France to retain his title.

Pantoja dominated New Zealander Kara-France before taking his back and locking in a rear-naked choke 1:55 into the third round.

With inputs from Reuters