Mixed Martial Arts-Topuria knocks out Oliveira to win UFC lightweight title
LAS VEGAS - Spain's Ilia Topuria scored a stunning first-round knockout victory over Charles Oliveira to claim the UFC lightweight title at UFC 317 on Saturday, with Alexandre Pantoja securing a third-round submission win over Kai Kara-France to retain the flyweight title in the co-main event.
Former featherweight champ Topuria announced in February that he was going to step up to the 155-pound division to fight for the belt vacated by former champ Islam Makhachev's move up to the welterweight division.
Standing between him and the title was 35-year-old Brazilian former lightweight champ Oliveira, who briefly brought his vast experience to bear before being defeated.
After a dominant run at featherweight that saw him move to 16-0 as a professional, Topuria, who was born in Germany to Georgian parents, looked small in the cage compared to Oliveira, but he defended well against the Brazilian's grappling before showcasing his striking power.
Oliveira, who was stripped of the lightweight belt in May 2022 when he missed weight for a defence against Justin Gaethje, 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 crunchin left that sent Oliveira crashing to the mat, his eyes glazed as his back hit the canvas as Topuria fulfilled his pre-fight prediction of a first-round knockout win.
"I already said it - I represent the new generation of the mix of martial arts, this is the next level of the game. This is the next thing, and this is what I represent," Topuria said in a post-fight interview. "I did exactly what we had planned, lot of jabs, right hand, left hook, and boom - his lights were out."
In the co-main event, Brazil's Pantoja dominated New Zealander Kara-France before taking his back and locking in a rear naked choke 1:55 into the third round, REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
29 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Zimbabwe's Williams bags century but South Africa lead by 216 in Bulawayo
Zimbabwe's Sean Williams struck a fluent 137 from 164 balls on day two of the first test against South Africa in Bulawayo on Sunday, but the visitors were in command with a 216-run lead and nine second-innings wickets remaining. A South African side missing several regulars will resume on 49 for one on the third morning after Zimbabwe made 251 in reply to the tourists' first-innings score of 418 for nine declared. Opener Tony de Zorzi is 22 not out and all-rounder Wiaan Mulder has 25 as South Africa look to build a formidable total for their hosts to chase. Matthew Breetzke was the only wicket to fall in their second innings after he was caught by Wessly Madhevere in the gully off the bowling of Tanaka Chivanga for one. The 38-year-old Williams held his side's first innings together with a sixth century in 21 tests, despite taking a nasty blow to the helmet from teenage South African speedster Kwena Maphaka. Maphaka had earlier ended opener Brian Bennett's game when he too was struck on the helmet and was subsequently ruled out of the remainder of the fixture with concussion. Bennett's place was taken by concussion replacement Prince Masvaure, who managed only seven before he became one of four wickets for Mulder (4-50). Debutant seamer Codi Yusuf finished with figures of 3-42 and stand-in captain Keshav Maharaj took 3-70, including the wicket of Williams, who was stumped by wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne. South Africa are fielding only four of the players who did duty in the World Test Championship victory over Australia at Lord's earlier this month. One of their three debutants is Lhuan-dre Pretorius, who at 19 years and 93 days on Saturday became the youngest player to score 150 in men's test cricket when the left-hander struck 153 in 160 balls in South Africa's first innings. It was also the second fastest score of 150 by a debutant in tests, taking 157 deliveries, behind India's Shikhar Dhawan, who managed 150 in 131 balls against Australia in 2013. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
30 minutes ago
- Straits Times
'F1: The Movie' roars to the top of the domestic box office
FILE PHOTO: Brad Pitt, Lewis Hamilton and Damson Idris attend the premiere for the film \"F1 The Movie\" in New York City, U.S., June 16, 2025. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper/File Photo 'F1: The Movie' roars to the top of the domestic box office LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - The high-octane racing film "F1: The Movie" roared to the top of the domestic box office this weekend, according to Comscore. The movie, which stars Brad Pitt as a Formula 1 racer who returns to the track after an accident nearly ended his career, brought in $55.6 million in ticket sales in the United States and Canada. That tally blew past the $45 million to $55 million pre-weekend domestic forecast from The Boxoffice Company. Worldwide receipts topped $88 million, propelled by the sport's strong fan base in Europe and Latin America. Racing films typically sputter in theaters, according to Daniel Loria, senior vice president of The Boxoffice Company, a theatrical ecommerce and data services firm. The most successful of the genre, the widely acclaimed "Ford v. Ferrari," opened to a modest $31 million in November 2019. "We haven't had that many movies about car racing that have broken through," Loria said. One notable outlier is the "Fast & Furious" action series that expanded beyond its street racing roots to include heists, espionage and an improbable moon shot. "F1" had several factors weighing in its favor. The film's director, Joseph Kosinski, brought the same high-intensity cinematic treatment of Formula 1 racing that he lent to the fighter jet sequences in his 2022 movie, "Top Gun: Maverick." Netflix's "Drive to Survive" series also helped fuel the popularity of Formula 1 racing, particularly in the United States. Apple put some marketing muscle behind the movie, an Apple Original Film that Variety reported cost in excess of $200 million to make. The tech giant touted it during CEO Tim Cook's keynote at this year's Worldwide Developer's Conference, and offered a movie discount to iPhone users. Apple Music also amplified the film's soundtrack. The film represents a bid for mainstream success for Apple, whose previous cinematic efforts, such as director Martin Scorsese's "Killers of the Flower Moon," garnered critical acclaim but brought in a modest $68 million in domestic box office proceeds. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
32 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Apologetic Antonelli given Silverstone grid drop
Formula One F1 - Austrian Grand Prix - Red Bull Ring, Spielberg, Austria - June 29, 2025 Red Bull's Max Verstappen looks dejected after crashing out during the race REUTERS/Gintare Karpaviciute Formula One F1 - Austrian Grand Prix - Red Bull Ring, Spielberg, Austria - June 29, 2025 Red Bull's Max Verstappen looks dejected after crashing out during the race REUTERS/Gintare Karpaviciute Formula One F1 - Austrian Grand Prix - Red Bull Ring, Spielberg, Austria - June 29, 2025 Red Bull's Max Verstappen looks on before his car is taken off the track after he crashes out REUTERS/Gintare Karpaviciute Formula One F1 - Austrian Grand Prix - Red Bull Ring, Spielberg, Austria - June 29, 2025 Mercedes' Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Red Bull's Max Verstappen crash out during the race REUTERS/Gintare Karpaviciute Formula One F1 - Austrian Grand Prix - Red Bull Ring, Spielberg, Austria - June 29, 2025 Red Bull's Max Verstappen looks dejected after crashing out during the race REUTERS/Gintare Karpaviciute SPIELBERG, Austria - Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli was given a three-place grid drop for the British Grand Prix after dumping Formula One champion Max Verstappen out of Red Bull's home race in Austria on Sunday. The 18-year-old Italian rookie lost control and collided with the four-times champion on the opening lap, after narrowly missing Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson, with neither able to continue. It was Verstappen's first retirement of the season and left him still third in the championship but now 61 points adrift of McLaren's Oscar Piastri after 11 of 24 rounds. Piastri finished second in a McLaren one-two with race winner Lando Norris. "I braked hard because I was behind other cars, and in that moment I locked the rears. Then I just couldn't stop the car," said Antonelli, who had taken his first career F1 podium in the previous round in Canada. "The car was just taking speed and the crash was inevitable. I just feel super sorry to the team, and to Max of course, because obviously he was just a passenger." Stewards ruled that Antonelli was fully at fault and also gave him two penalty points. At a circuit where he has won a record five times, Verstappen had started seventh on the grid, with Antonelli lining up ninth, "I'm out, I got hit like crazy," Verstappen said over the team radio, with an additional expletive. "It's just unlucky, like yesterday in qualifying," he told Sky Sports television later. "But overall, we didn't really have that great pace anyway this weekend, so a lot of learning for us how we can hopefully do better next weekend. "My mentality doesn't change. We've won a lot in the past. Sometimes you have to accept that you are not winning, and we just try to do the best that we can." The retirement ended a run of 31 grands prix in the points for the Dutch driver, whose fans throng in their thousands to the Red Bull Ring but this time never got to see him race. The start was later than scheduled after Carlos Sainz's Williams got stuck on the grid as cars moved away for the formation lap. Sainz eventually got going and returned to the pitlane, where his car's brakes caught fire before being extinguished by mechanics, with smoke still billowing out as he was pushed back and into retirement. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
