Ilia Topuria Backed Up His Words With an Insane First-Round KO Against Oliveira

Dana White and Hunter Campbell can step aside, the matchmaker is back to form the UFC schedule with every fight to be made after UFC 317!

🌹🇪🇸 Ilia Topuria is undeniably the biggest star of the UFC right now.

A champion in TWO weight divisions at 28 years old, undefeated with a record of 17-0, and KO’d Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, and Charles Oliveira IN A ROW.

The new face of the UFC? pic.twitter.com/IhpsSlGjPM

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) June 29, 2025

Ilia Topuria vs…

‘Paddy the Baddy,’ Pimblett!

It has to be… right?

Now, I know… Arman Tsarukyan is higher in the rankings, and he likely poses a bigger threat to Topuria’s 17-0 unbeaten win streak. However, we want big fights announced in UFC news, and there’s nothing bigger than Topuria vs. Pimblett, across all divisions, right now!

Interestingly, Paddy was invited into the octagon post Topuria’s obliteration of ‘Do Bronx,’ and the pair had a little scuffle during a face-off. Dana White then stated did not condone this, but the social media traction it’s gained since surely has to force this fight to be made.

Ilia Topuria reacts to the heated face off with Paddy Pimblett at UFC 317

“He’s fat … he’s not someone who looks big because he has muscle, he’s very undisciplined. I saw fear in his eyes, the eyes never lie” pic.twitter.com/1mQxeSRRY2

— FULL SEND MMA (@full_send_mma) June 29, 2025

We’ve seen it plenty of times before, e.g., Steve Erceg challenging for the flyweight belt, where fighters skip a few ranking placements to challenge for the title because it makes sense. And if you know how much these two hate each other, and considering they’re both undefeated in the UFC, it’s unquestionably the fight to make!

There’s only one man that could potentially change my mind on this fight, and that’s Islam Makhachev… Come on, lad, do what’s right for the sport and come back home to 155 lbs to reclaim the title you never lost!

IT’S GETTING HEATED 😱 #UFC317

Is Ilia Topuria vs Paddy Pimblett next?! pic.twitter.com/sWIEMbquQi

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) June 29, 2025

Charles Oliveira vs…

Anyone! I said it before, and I’ll say it again: Win or lose, it doesn’t matter who Charles Oliveira fights next because Do Bronx is a star, a legend, a fighter that’s always going to leave it all in the octagon to entertain the masses.

With that said, a second run-in with Max Holloway, which I suggested prior to UFC 317, still feels like a valid comeback fight for the Brazilian. Following a four- to six-month layoff, which I believe Do Bronx needs after that brutal KO, Holloway will be finished with the Poirier bout, and the BMF title will need a pair of new contestants.

LIGHTS OUT! 😱

Watch the slo-mo angle of Ilia Topuria’s knockout over Charles Oliveira 💥#UFC317 pic.twitter.com/dWdWUehTpG

— UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) June 30, 2025

Plus, it’s been ten years since Oliveira got injured in his meeting with Holloway, and since then, the two have gone on to become two of the sport’s biggest stars in UFC rumors. Putting them both inside the cage at the end of 2025 or early 2026 would be a clash of legends that everyone would pay to see.

I wouldn’t, however, want to pick a side on the UFC betting odds involving these two greats!

Reminder that Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje, Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira have all fought each other in the UFC and are currently ranked in the top 5 of a stacked lightweight division 💥

LEGENDARY GROUP 🙌 #UFC317 pic.twitter.com/4DVdeqQ9ou

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 19, 2025

Alexandre Pantoja vs…

Challengers for Pantoja’s title at flyweight are becoming thin, but the matchmaking for this bout is simple… Why? Because it’s already settled!

Following a Fight of the Night performance with Brandon Royval at UFC 317 and a UFC career that’s seen him go 8-1 in two years, Joshua Van has booked himself as the next No.1 contender.

Joshua Van entered the octagon after Alexandre Pantoja defended his UFC flyweight title at #UFC317 👀 pic.twitter.com/jxp5mwpH4o

— ESPN (@espn) June 29, 2025

The UFC has confirmed this flyweight championship bout; should they make it official and set a date before October 2025, Van has the opportunity to become the youngest UFC champion in history, a statistic he would share with Jonny ‘Bones’ Jones.

That, of course, is easier said than done. With another standout performance and submission win, the ultra veteran that always has bad intentions once the cage door closes, Pantoja, will be the most difficult foe of Van’s short career.

We cannot wait!

Pantoja highlights vs Kara-France, an absolute masterclass https://t.co/hM7pCBNV2H pic.twitter.com/cgldGRZRyu

— ⚔️𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙮.⚔️ (@yeljr23) June 30, 2025

Honorable Mentions

Beneil Dariush vs. Rafael Fiziev: At 36, we don’t know how much longer UFC veteran Beneil Dariush has left, but after running through Renato Moicano this past weekend, we know he’s not done yet.

With Rafael Fiziev, a fellow top-10-ranked lightweight recently coming off a win, he feels like the perfect opponent for Dariush, as we get to see a classic striker versus grappler of a similar ranking go head-to-head.

Payton Talbott vs. Adrian Yanez: Talbott just proved he’s worth more than his lone defeat to Raoni Barcelos by dispatching a fellow rising contender in Felipe Lima, but let’s not make the same mistake twice and give him an ultra vet in his next matchup.

Instead, let’s continue to build Talbott slowly, and that’s why a fellow non-ranked talent like Adrian Yanez makes sense. And after all, Talbott called for this fight himself, so let these two striking savages duke it out in what would unquestionably result in an absolute slugfest.