Former featherweight champion Ilia Topuria will make his return at lightweight against Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 on June 28 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the promotion announced Tuesday.
The bout will be for the vacant lightweight title that Islam Makhachev previously held. The 33-year-old Dagestani will move up to welterweight to challenge new champion Jack Della Maddalena at a later date, UFC CEO Dana White announced Tuesday, according to Sportsnet's Aaron Bronsteter.
It appears that Makhachev had a change of heart after expressing his desire to hold onto his 155-pound division belt while eyeing a potential move up in weight class to compete for the title at 170 pounds.
Similar to Makhachev, Topuria (16-0) vacated his featherweight belt in February to make the move to lightweight. The Spanish fighter has yet to taste defeat in his professional career. The 28-year-old recorded a second-round knockout over Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 in February 2024. He followed up with an impressive third-round KO over Max Holloway at UFC 308 in October before making the move to the 155-pound division. He previously fought at lightweight nearly three years ago against Jai Herbert.
Oliveira (35-10, 1 NC) will seek to become a two-time champion at lightweight. The 35-year-old has experienced mixed results since losing his match against Makhachev for the vacant 155-pound title at UFC 280 in 2022. He sports a 2-1 record over his past three fights, with victories over Beneil Dariush and Michael Chandler. Oliveira was on the losing end of a split decision to Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300 in April 2024.
Flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja will also defend his title against challenger Kai Kara-France in the co-main event. The fight will mark the second time they meet in the cage after having previously fought on season 24 of "The Ultimate Fighter." Pantoja won the duo's initial meeting via unanimous decision after two rounds.
Pantoja (29-5) will enter the Octagon riding a seven-fight win streak. The 35-year-old defeated Brandon Moreno in a split decision to capture gold at UFC 290 in 2023. He's since defended the 125-pound title belt three times, including securing a second-round submission over Kai Asakura in December.
Kara-France (25-11, 1 NC) will get his second shot at wrapping gold around his waist this summer. The New Zealand native was stopped in the third round by Moreno during their fight for the vacant flyweight title. After losing a decision to Amir Albazi, Kara-France rebounded with a first-round TKO against Steve Erceg in August.
The June 28 card will also have Paulo Costa fight Roman Kopylov in a middleweight clash. Top-10 lightweight contender Renato Moicano will square off against Dariush.
