6/29/25: Ilia Topuria Begins Lightweight Reign With Brutal KO Win
Also: Alexandre Pantoja's flyweight reign remains untouchable
Welcome to a Sunday edition of the Knockdown Daily! We have tons to cover today: New champs were crowned at UFC, OKTAGON and Cage Warriors events last night, and we have a recap of it all for you. Missed yesterday’s action? Or simply want to look back on what went down? Either way, this is the place to be. Let’s begin.
Ilia Topuria Floors Charles Oliveira To Kick Off Lightweight Title Reign
Ilia Topuria’s championship reign up at lightweight started with a bang on Saturday night, taking out one of the division’s most beloved names in devastating fashion.
Topuria knocked out former world champ Charles Oliveira on Saturday night to capture the vacant UFC Lightweight Championship in just one round, making him the 10th-ever fighter in the promotion’s history to put together a title reign in two different weight classes.
The lightning-quick win for Topuria – just a minute and a half in total – headlined UFC 317 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Topuria proved that the brutal striking power he became known for at featherweight will continue to be a force at lightweight, sleeping Oliveira with a right hook near the halfway point of the opening round.
The Spanish-Georgian star landed a left hook as part of the two-punch combination that put away Oliveira as well, although it was the leading right hand that ended the contest.
Prior to the sudden finish, the lightweights had a brief exchange on the ground. Topuria was able to reverse a takedown attempt from Oliveira to get top position, but found himself returning to the feet after the Brazilian vet grabbed hold of a leg, threatening a potential submission.
28-year-old Topuria first made a name for himself at featherweight, where he took down long-time champ Alexander Volkanovski in just three rounds to claim UFC gold. He later got past another experienced fan favorite last October, overcoming Max Holloway in three rounds.
Saturday marked not only his quickest title win since entering the UFC, but his fastest victory through nine appearances in the promotion altogether.
The undefeated champion made the decision to relinquish his featherweight title and pursue a campaign up at 155 pounds this year, citing health reasons as the explanation for the move.
Due to previous lightweight champ Islam Makhachev coincidentally also moving up a weight class, Topuria entered a division without an active titleholder, hence why he competed for a vacant belt on Saturday.
It seems possible that Topuria’s first appearance as lightweight champ might come against English talent Paddy Pimblett, a 30-year-old who has moved up the lightweight standings with names over seasoned talents like Michael Chandler and King Green.
Topuria and Pimblett went face-to-face inside the UFC cage on Saturday night, with the fighters getting pulled apart after the newly-crowned champ shoved Pimblett.
Another potential next challenger could be first-ranked Arman Tsarukyan, who was set to challenge past champ Makhachev for the title earlier this year before an injury changed his plans. He was also attending Saturday’s card, but didn’t have a face-to-face encounter with the champ.
Oliveira was hoping to become the first-ever two-time lightweight champ in UFC history with a win this weekend. Three years after his initial reign dramatically came to an end due to a weight miss, Oliveira entered this weekend as a +300 underdog on some sportsbooks, who were skeptical that the 35-fight UFC vet would walk out of the fight victorious.
“Do Bronx” was riding the momentum of a late-2024 five-round win over Michael Chandler. The 35-year-old is now back to the drawing board after getting stopped with strikes for the first time since 2017.
Alexandre Pantoja Taps Out Kai Kara-France To Extend Flyweight Reign Past Two-Year Mark
Alexandre Pantoja’s dominant run as UFC Flyweight Champion was extended on Saturday night with a one-sided performance against New Zealand’s Kai Kara-France in the co-main event of UFC 317 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
After spending a fair amount of a three-round fight on the defensive, Kara-France suffered the same fate that five other past Pantoja opponents have undergone as well: Getting tapped out with his rear naked choke.
A submission for Pantoja emerged just under two minutes into the third round, when the Brazilian talent slipped his submission under the chin of Kara-France.
“A lot of guys know I go to that position,” Pantoja said in his post-fight interview. “A lot of guys train for that. But, I’m too evolved.”
Pantoja got the fight to the ground early in the third by charging at Kara-France with a flurry of shots, ending the explosive sequence with a takedown attempt.
A similar strategy also got him control in the first round, storming at Kara-France immediately after the fight’s start and setting up for a sudden takedown.
He searched for submissions in the opening minutes of the fight as well, trying for an arm triangle choke before moving into a full mount position on the ground. He put together nearly five full minutes of control time in the opening round, per UFC stats.
While the first and third rounds were defined solely by grappling from Pantoja, the second showed more diversity in his gameplan. Although he was able to get another takedown in the round, he also proved his skills on the feet, out-landing Kara-France in stand-up exchanges.
The impressive showing from Pantoja on Saturday continued a run which first started in the same building just under two years ago, when he earned a split decision victory over Brandon Moreno.
With past wins as champ against Brandon Royval, Steve Erceg, and Kai Asakura, along with high-profile outings from before his title reign, Pantoja has beaten a fair number of the names currently listed in the flyweight rankings.
However, it seems likely that a fresh challenge will emerge for Pantoja’s next fight. Less than an hour after he won a “Fight of the Year” contender over Brandon Royval, 23-year-old Joshua Van was let back into the UFC cage to face off with Pantoja, signalling that he’s most likely next for a shot.
Van has pieced together a five-fight win streak within the past year, including a pair of victories in this month alone. A win on Saturday against Royval specifically is what put him into the title discussion, overcoming a fighter who had been ranked first in the standings before this weekend.
“He’s a great champion, but he ain’t ever fought Joshua Van,” the confident Texas-based striker said before facing off with Pantoja.
The title fight on Saturday offered a chance for Kara-France to avenge a loss he took against Pantoja back on Season 24 of The Ultimate Fighter back in 2016.
Kara-France earned himself a shot at the champ after putting away former Pantoja opponent Erceg last August with strikes in just under a round. The City Kickboxing-trained 125-pounder is now unsuccessful in two title fights, previously losing an interim bout to Moreno in 2022 as well.
Here are a few other headlines from “International Fight Week”
As just mentioned, Joshua Van (15-2) completely jumped the line at flyweight for a title shot with his spectacular win over Brandon Royval (17-8). They had a serious “Fight of the Year” contender, just trading hard blows on the feet for three straight rounds. While the fight was highly competitive most of the time, a solid opening frame and a last-minute right-hand knockdown from Van did enough to guarantee him a decision win.
Put this in perspective: Van debuted in June 2023, just over two years ago. His UFC record is now 8-1. That’s a level of activity that few come close to.
In his first pro appearance in a year and a half, Beneil Dariush (23-6-1) got past Renato Moicano (20-7-1) in a competitive three-rounder. Dariush had a rough 2023, getting stopped by Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan. He’s now back in the winners circle for the first time since 2022.
Payton Talbott (10-1) bounced back from his first pro loss with a big victory, overcoming former OKTAGON champ Felipe Lima (14-2) in a decision result. Talbott showed noticeable improvements with his wrestling, a weakness that led to his loss earlier this year against Raoni Barcelos. He wants Adrian Yanez next.
Gregory Rodrigues (17-6) scored a scary knockout against Swedish middleweight Jack Hermansson (24-9), dropping him late in the first round with a hard left hook. Rodrigues caught some flak for landing a hard hammerfist shot after the knockout, when it had become clear that Hermansson wouldn’t be able to continue after getting dropped. He explained afterward that he’s “not going to stop until the ref says stop,” and that he was just doing his job. Nonetheless, the result gets him back into the win column after losing a five-rounder to Jared Cannonier in February.
Jose Delgado (10-1) snatched Hyder Amil’s (11-1) undefeated record in just 26 seconds, dropping the fellow featherweight prospect with a knee in the clinch position before finishing the bout with ground and pound shots. Delgado has earned back-to-back first-round finishes in the UFC, previously debuting with a three-minute victory over Connor Matthews.
It was a night of fast victories. Terrance McKinney (17-7) also caught Viacheslav Borschev (8-6-2) in 55 seconds with a mounted guillotine choke. The win was still longer than his 20-second victory over Brendon Marotte, or his seven-second UFC debut over Matt Frevola.
Here are the quick results from Saturday’s pay-per-view card:
Main Card (10:00PM EDT / 7:00PM PDT) (PPV)
Bout 11: Ilia Topuria def. Charles Oliveira via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:27) (Vacant UFC Lightweight Championship)
Bout 10: Alexandre Pantoja def. Kai Kara-France via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 3, 1:55) (UFC Flyweight Championship)
Bout 9: Joshua Van def. Brandon Royval via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 8: Beneil Dariush def. Renato Moicano via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 7: Payton Talbott def. Felipe Lima via Decision, Unanimous
Preliminary Card (8:00PM EDT / 5:00PM PDT) (ESPN / ESPN+)
Bout 6: Gregory Rodrigues def. Jack Hermansson via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 4:21)
Bout 5: Jose Delgado def. Hyder Amil via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 0:26)
Bout 4: Tracy Cortez def. Viviane Araujo via Decision, Unanimous
Early Prelims (6:00PM EDT / 3:00PM PDT) (ESPN+ / UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 3: Terrance McKinney def. Viacheslav Borshchev via Submission, Guillotine Choke (RD 1, 0:55)
Bout 2: Jacobe Smith def. Niko Price via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 2, 4:03)
Bout 1: Jhonata Diniz def. Alvin Hines via Decision, Unanimous
Former UFC Talent Zhalgas Zhumagulov Earns OKTAGON Flyweight Title In Five-Round Stand-Up Battle
Zhalgas Zhumagulov’s post-UFC run only continues to get better.
The Kazakhstani veteran captured flyweight OKTAGON gold on Saturday night, going five rounds to take down former champ Beno Adamia with a unanimous decision result. The title win for Zhumagulov was part of OKTAGON 73 from the Barclays Arena in Hamburg, Germany, this weekend.
While Zhumagulov left the cage with a dominant score of 49-46, 49-46 & 50-45 on scorecards, the fight was much more competitive than the official result might lead you to believe.
Zhumagulov had a strong opening round in the fight, chipping away at Adamia with leg kicks to get the edge in a feeling-out process. But Adamia upped his pressure in the rounds that followed, making it clear that this wouldn’t be a one-sided showcase for the title challenger.
However, Zhumagulov remained effective on the counter, continuing to land in scrappy altercations around the border of the cage. This caused judges to give him the second and third rounds, putting him on track to secure a decision victory.
Zhumagulov continued to pull away from Adamia on scorecards as the fight went into championship rounds. He notably earned a knockdown with a spinning backfist in the fourth round, providing arguably one of the biggest moments of the entire fight.
With just five minutes to go, Adamia needed a finish to win his fight against Zhumagulov. He continued to work in an aggressive style as the fight neared its end, charging forward and landing with hard punches. While it was enough for two judges to give him the final round, it didn’t result in a finish, and thus sealed his fate as the losing fighter in the encounter.
Zhumagulov has now pieced together four wins since exiting the UFC roster in late 2023. He previously lined himself up for a title shot after getting past former OKTAGON title challenger Aaron Aby in November 2024.
While Adamia entered this weekend with the hopes of defending his OKTAGON Flyweight Championship for the first time, trouble on the scales forced him to vacate his belt.
The Georgian talent was stripped of his title after coming just two pounds over the flyweight championship limit on Friday, ending a reign he started earlier this year with a competitive showing over former Cage Warriors star Sam Creasey.
The main event of OKTAGON 73 saw promotional vet Robert Pukac take down Germany’s Christian Eckerlin, rocking him with a right hand before a series of left hooks forced a knockdown in the third round.
Here are the quick results for OKTAGON’s latest card:
Bout 11: Robert Pukac def. Christian Eckerlin via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 1:05)
Bout 10: Kasim Aras def. Adam Palasz via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:42)
Bout 9: Kaik Brito def. Joilton Lutterbach via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:43)
Bout 8: Jessin Ayari def. Niklas Stolze via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 2, 3:25)
Bout 7: Jonas Magard def. Farbod Nezhad via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 6: Wahed Nazhand def. Faridun Shokhnazarov via Submission, Kimura (RD 2, 3:42)
Bout 5: Zhalgas Zhumagulov def. Beno Adamia via Decision, Unanimous (Vacant OKTAGON Flyweight Championship)
Bout 4: Marek Bartl def. Daniel Makin via Submission, Kimura (RD 2, 4:18)
Bout 3: Richie Smullen def. Vojto Barborik via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 3:59)
Bout 2: Tomas Ciganik def. Ahmad Halimson via Decision, Split
Bout 1: Altin Zenuni def. Tibor Balazs via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 2:01)
Weigh-In Scuffle Causes Cage Warriors 191 To Lose Bantamweight Title Fight
Outside of the cage drama in Manchester, England, caused a title fight rematch to be cancelled in the 11th hour at Cage Warriors.
The headlining act for Cage Warriors 191 this weekend was scheduled to be Liam Gittins rematching Italy’s Alessandro Giordano for the promotion’s bantamweight title. The bout aimed to provide a satisfying end to a rivalry between the two, after their first meeting earlier this year ended via no contest due to an accidental eye poke.
But following a dust-up at Friday’s weigh-ins, the bout ended up falling apart.
A face-off between the bantamweight fighters on Friday turned into a slight scuffle, as seen in a social media post from Cage Warriors. After Gittins shoved Giordano away from their face-off, a member of Giordano’s team was seen attempting to throw a kick towards Gittins. Both teams were pulled apart before things could get even more violent.
Giordano’s coach was banned from appearing at Saturday’s card after getting involved at Friday’s weigh-ins. And since this move didn’t sit well with the Italian fighter, he decided to withdraw from the card altogether, pulling the event’s main event out of the lineup, per a statement made by Cage Warriors President Graham Boylan.
The dramatic sequence brought a sudden end to a fight that prospect watchers had been anticipating for some time.
Gittins was aiming to defend his bantamweight title for the second time since claiming Cage Warriors gold back in 2023, continuing an impressive run in the promotion. For Giordano, a prospect who had a three-win 2024 in the promotion, he was looking to pick up his first-ever regional title.
23-Year-Old Omar Tugarev Stops James Power To Earn Interim Cage Warriors Gold
Finland has a new prospect to keep an eye out for, and his name is Omar Tugarev.
Tugarev won the interim Cage Warriors Lightweight Championship with a smothering performance against James Power, finishing him in the third round with ground and pound shots.
His performance was elevated to the main event spot of Cage Warriors 191 from the BEC Arena in Manchester, England, after the expected bantamweight title fight fell through.
23-year-old Tugarev used his superior ground control to dominate Power in all three rounds, eventually forcing a finish. After landing in side control after a takedown in the third round, Tugarev moved into the dominant crucifix position. It was in this spot that he pieced together a long series of punches to the head, eventually making referee Rich Mitchell stop the fight.
Earlier rounds of the fight didn’t see Tugarev as focused on damage, but had him controlling the fight with long stretches of controlling positions on the mat.
Tugarev now has his first notable MMA title a little over a year into his pro MMA career. The Finnish talent had an insanely busy rookie year as a pro, putting together seven wins within just over 12 months.
Now with an interim title in his possession, Tugarev could either defend the belt or potentially unify with main champ Samuel Silva, if he doesn’t get picked up by the UFC on “Dana White’s Contender Series” later this year.
Manchester’s Power was getting his first Cage Warriors title shot after a long stretch of wins in the promotion, including a trio of victories in 2024.
Power was originally booked to face Ieuan Davies, an undefeated Welsh prospect who has won all six of his pro fights within two rounds. But after Davies withdrew, it was Tugarev who instead appeared and stole the show.
Here are the quick results from Manchester:
Main Card
Bout 14: Omar Tugraev def. James Power via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 3:24) (Vacant Interim Cage Warriors Lightweight Championship)
Bout 13: Michael Pagani def. Tim Wilde via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 4:09)
Bout 12: Lukas Cruz def. Adam Cullen via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 2, 3:33)
Bout 11: Torpal Merjoev def. Teddy Stringer via Submission, Ninja Choke (RD 2, 1:22)
Bout 10: Omiel Brown defe. Edgar Escarrega via Submission, Bulldog Choke (RD 1, 2:38)
Bout 9: Shay Ingram def. Farukh Alidadzhiev via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 4:47)
Bout 8: Connor Wilson vs. Florian Doskja via No Contest, Accidental Groin Shot (RD 1, 2:27)
Preliminary Card
Bout 7: Joe Fields def. Davide Scarano via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 6: Ryan Campbell def. Yusuf Nazokatov via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 0:39)
Bout 5: George Smith def. Ghassan Abdenabi via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 4: Fran Breen def. Mano Ferriera via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 3: Chris Price def. Tony Silva via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 4:24)
Bout 2: Christian Soda def. Damon Donald via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 1: Sheldon Ryan def. Brad Camps via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 3, 4:31)