Ilia Topuria has accomplished an incredible feat by becoming a two-division champion, something that has not been done previously by prominent mixed martial arts legends such as Jon Jones, Conor McGregor, and many others. Topuria's strong determination caught the attention of the entire combat sports community, who praised him for his recent performance.
Topuria made his octagon return to face former champion Charles OIiveira for the vacant lightweight strap in the main event of UFC 317 on Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. He gave away his featherweight belt earlier this year and moved up to pursue his dream of becoming a double champion, which he achieved by defeating Oliveira in a devastating fashion.
The Spaniard extended his undefeated run to 17 fights. He also became the 10th UFC fighter to win titles in two divisions. Notably, the 28-year-old pulled it off by remaining unbeaten in his professional career. Jones, McGregor, Amanda Nunes, Alex Pereira, and many others were among the other nine double champions in promotion history. But none of them managed to remain undefeated in their chase for a second belt.
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
The Spaniard, confident on the strong power in his hands, did what he envisioned. He quickly dispatched Oliveira at the 2:27 mark of the opening round with a vicious right-left combination that left 'do Bronx' flat on the ground.
Check out Ilia Topuria's knockout victory below:
Topuria's immense strength in his hands drew applause from UFC Hall of Famer Chael Sonnen, who expressed his administration in ESPN MMA's post-fight show. Sonnen likened him to the boxing legend Mike Tyson, saying:
''I've seen jabs and crosses. I've seen hooks, it just turns out there is a power that is almost unspeakable, I got to go back to Iron Mike Tyson quite frankly.''Check out Chael Sonnen's comments below (0:11):
Why did you not like this content?
- Clickbait / Misleading
- Factually Incorrect
- Hateful or Abusive
- Baseless Opinion
- Too Many Ads
- Other
Was this article helpful?
Thank You for feedback
About the author
Follow One Championship News, Schedule & Results at Sportskeeda.
Edited by Swagat Kumar Jena