Islam Makhachev vacates lightweight title, Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira to headline UFC 317

A new lightweight champion of the world will be crowned at UFC 317 as the 155-pound division gets a big shakeup ahead of UFC International Fight Week.

UFC president and CEO Dana White took to Instagram Live to announce that undisputed lightweight champion Islam Makhachev had vacated the 155-pound title and would be moving up to challenge Jack Della Maddalena for the welterweight title in due course.

White also revealed that, as a result, former featherweight champion Ilia Topuria would take on former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira for the newly-vacated title in the main event of UFC 317 during UFC International Fight Week.

A host of other UFC 317 bouts were also confirmed by the UFC, including a co-main event clash for the undisputed flyweight title, as reigning champion Alexandre Pantoja takes on Kai Kara-France.

Joining them on the June 28 fight card are six more confirmed matchups. Paulo Costa will take on Roman Kopylov at middleweight, while lightweights Beneil Dariush and Renato Moicano will rekindle their matchup after Moicano was promoted up the card to challenge Makhachev for the title at UFC 311 in January.

Heavyweights Jhonata Diniz and Justin Tafa will face off at the event, while flyweight contenders Brandon Royval and Manel Kape are set to do battle in what looks on paper like a number-one contender bout to decide who will go on to face the eventual winner of the co-main event.

Norway’s Jack Hermansson makes his return to the Octagon for the first time since February 2024 as he takes on Brazil’s in-form Gregory Rodrigues, and ranked women’s flyweights will feature, as Viviane Araujo takes on Tracy Cortez.