Makhachev vacates title; Topuria-Oliveira lightweight clash at UFC 317

Ilia Topuria volition look Charles Oliveira, not Islam Makhachev, for the vacant lightweight rubric astatine UFC 317 main event.

Ilia Topuria volition look to adhd a 2nd Ultimate Fighting Championship loop to his postulation erstwhile helium headlines UFC 317 connected June 28 – it conscionable won’t beryllium against Islam Makhachev.

After weeks of heightened anticipation for a imaginable blockbuster face-off betwixt the superstar pair, Topuria, a erstwhile undisputed featherweight champ, volition present combat erstwhile champion Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title, UFC CEO Dana White announced connected Tuesday.

Makhachev, a four-time defending champion, volition vacate the lightweight loop to determination up to welterweight to look recently crowned Jack Della Maddalena, who defeated Belal Muhammad past Saturday astatine UFC 315 to go the caller rubric holder successful the value class. The day for that combat has yet to beryllium announced.

Topuria has a cleanable UFC grounds of 16-0. The Spaniard relinquished his 145-pound (66kg) featherweight rubric earlier this twelvemonth successful anticipation of a lightweight rubric showdown against Makhachev and took to societal media to dependable his displeasure astatine the Russian vacating his rubric belt.

“On June 29, different imagination volition travel true,” Topuria wrote. “I’ll beryllium the champion of the lightweight division. Charles [Oliveira], my apologies successful advance… I’m conscionable warring for my dreams. It’s unfortunate that Makhachev ran away.”

Makhachev, who sports a 27-1 UFC record, is ranked by ESPN arsenic the champion pound-for-pound UFC combatant successful the world; Topuria is ranked fig two.

UFC 317 is scheduled to instrumentality spot astatine T-Mobile Arena successful Las Vegas.

Islam Makhachev’s adjacent combat volition beryllium against Jack Della Maddalena successful the welterweight class, alternatively than IIia Topuria successful the lightweight class, aft the Russian vacated his lightweight rubric to determination up a value people [File: Kamran Jebreili/AP]