UFC 317 Main Event: Topuria Vs. Oliveira Opening Odds
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - OCTOBER 26: Ilia Topuria of Spain reacts after a knockout victory ... More against Max Holloway in the UFC featherweight championship fight during the UFC 308 event at Etihad Arena on October 26, 2024 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Former UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria will fight at lightweight for the first time since 2022 when he faces former UFC 155-pound champion Charles Oliveira in the main event of UFC 317. The bout will serve as the main event of the June 28 pay-per-view card, which is the centerpiece of International Fight Week in Las Vegas. With UFC CEO Dana White making the contest official earlier this week, we look at the opening betting odds for the Topuria vs. Oliveira matchup.
When BetOnline first published the opening odds for the UFC 317 main event, Topuria was a -300 betting favorite over Oliveira, who opened as the +250 betting underdog. The betting line has already shifted for the June 28 matchup. Today, Topuria is -350, while Oliveira comes in at +285.
Topuria wasted no time engaging in some social media trash talk with his UFC 317 opponent, while taking a shot at soon to be former champion Islam Makhachev, writing on X, "On June 28, another dream will come true. I'll be the champion of the lightweight division. Charles, my apologies in advance… I'm just fighting for my dreams. It's unfortunate that Makhachev ran away. 17-0
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - OCTOBER 21: Islam Makhachev of Russia reacts after his knockout ... More victory against Alexander Volkanovski of Australia in the UFC lightweight championship fight during the UFC 294 event at Etihad Arena on October 21, 2023 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
In the lead-up to UFC 316, the speculation was if Belal Muhammad retained his UFC welterweight title with a win over Jack Della Maddalena, then UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev would remain at 155 pounds and defend his title against Ilia Topuria. The reason for this thinking being that Makhachev and Muhammad have trained together and that they would not be willing to face each other inside the Octagon.
However, with Jack Della Maddalena defeating Muhammad, that opened the door for Makhachev to move to welterweight. The thinking now being that he will get an immediate title shot against Maddalena in the freshly crowned champ's first title defense.
Makhachev's manager Ali Abdelaziz spoke to MMA Junkie about the situation.
'If Belal were to win, Islam was never going to fight Belal, and he's going to stay in the (lightweight) division. But now Jack wins,' Abdelaziz said. 'Islam has beaten everyone in this division, literally. Dan Hooker, Arman (Tsarukyan), Charles Oliveira, he's on a 15-fight winning streak, finished nine of his last 10 opponents. (There's no one who) deserves to go fight for a second title than Islam, and the reason he wasn't going to do it because Belal was the champion.'
On Tuesday, White announced the plans for Della Maddalena vs. Topuria, but did not announce a date for the 170-pound title fight. With that, the UFC lightweight title will most likely become vacant the moment the UFC 317 main event begins.
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - OCTOBER 26: Ilia Topuria of Spain reacts after a knockout victory ... More against Max Holloway in the UFC featherweight championship fight during the UFC 308 event at Etihad Arena on October 26, 2024 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Topuria is a former Cage Warriors champion. He joined the UFC in 2020 with a 9-0 record. It did not take him long to make a name for himself. He was ranked No. 14 in the featherweight division after three UFC bouts at 145 pounds and one contest in the 155-pound division. Three of those scraps ended with Topuria winning via knockout.
In his first fight as a ranked featherweight, Topuria dispatched Bryce Mitchell via submission in the second round, earned his first 'Performance of the Night' bonus and moved to No. 9 in the rankings.
A matchup with No. 5 ranked Josh Emmett followed the Mitchell win. Topuria picked up a decision in a 'Fight of the Night' scrap. Topuria's next fight, saw him face Alexander Volkanovski for the UFC featherweight title at UFC 298. Topuria entered that bout as the No. 3 ranked featherweight. He left as the champion after knocking out Volkanovski in the second stanza.
In his first defense of the UFC featherweight crown, Topuria made history, becoming the first fighter to finish former 145-pound champion Max Holloway via strikes, knocking out the ex-champion in the third round of their UFC 308 meeting in October 2024.
When Topuria decided to move to lightweight and give up his featherweight title, he vowed to sit until he got a 155-pound title shot. That fight takes place at UFC 317.
Topuria has a 16-0 record with eight of those wins coming under the UFC banner.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 16: Charles Oliveira of Brazil looks on against Michael Chandler in a ... More lightweight fight during the UFC 309 event at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Charles Oliveira (35-10-0-1) has been fighting with the UFC since 2010. He won the vacant lightweight title with his win over Chandler and defended the title once, beating Dustin Poirier. He was booked to face Justin Gaethje in his second title defense, but Oliveira missed weight for that fight, which he won by submission, losing the title on the scale.
Oliveira had a chance to regain the belt in October 2022, but Islam Makhachev submitted him and claimed the vacant belt. Since that loss, Oliveira is 1-1, beating Beneil Dariush by TKO in June 2023 and losing to Arman Tsarukyan via split decision in April of this year.
Oliveira is coming off a November 2024 decision win over Michael Chandler.
Oliveira is the No. 2 fighter in the official UFC lightweight rankings.
We will have more on the UFC 317 fight card and the UFC 317 main event between Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira as fight night approaches.
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