A new lightweight champion will be crowned at UFC 317 this Saturday.
Capping off International Fight Week, which included the debut of UFC BJJ and the promotion’s annual Hall of Fame ceremony, UFC 317 boasted two title fights, with flyweight champ Alexandre Pantoja facing Kai Kara-France in the co-main event.
Yet all eyes, if we’re being honest, were on Ilia Topuria, who had vacated his 145lb title to make the move to featherweight earlier this year. Now, with Islam Makhachev doing the same in a move to welterweight, Topuria had been paired up with ex-champ Charles Oliveira for a shot at 155lb gold.
Should the undefeated Topuria come out victorious on Saturday, he would join an elite group of fighters including Randy Couture, Georges St-Pierre, and Jon Jones in holding two UFC championships (albeit not simultaneously, as the likes of Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier, and Amanda Nunes managed). Yet Topuria’s goals might be even greater, as throughout fight week, he suggested a move to welterweight to pursue a fight with Makhachev, should he dethrone Jack Della Maddalena later this year.
Weigh-ins for UFC 317 take place Friday in Las Vegas, with Cageside Press on hand. Results can be found below.
UFC 317: Topuria vs. Oliveira Weigh-In Results
Main card
Lightweight: Ilia Topuria (155) vs. Charles Oliveira (154.5) – for the vacant UFC lightweight championship
Flyweight: Alexandre Pantoja (c) (125) vs. Kai Kara-France (125) – for the UFC flyweight championship
Flyweight: Brandon Royval (125.5) vs. Joshua Van (125.5)
Lightweight: Beneil Dariush (156) vs. Renato Moicano (156)
Bantamweight: Payton Talbott (136) vs. Felipe Lima (135.5)
Preliminary card
Middleweight: Jack Hermansson (185.5) vs. Gregory Rodrigues (186)
Featherweight: Hyder Amil (145.5) vs. Jose Miguel Delgado (145.5)
Women’s Flyweight: Viviane Araújo (125.5) vs. Tracy Cortez (126)
Lightweight: Terrance McKinney (156) vs. Viacheslav Borshchev (155)
Preliminary card
Welterweight: Niko Price (170.5) vs. Jacobe Smith (170.5)
Heavyweight: Jhonata Diniz (257.5) vs. Alvin Hines (259.5)
Middleweight: Christopher Ewert vs. Jackson McVey (185)
