LAS VEGAS — Ilia Topuria and Alexandre Pantoja are different people with vastly different styles in the Octagon.
Each champion delivered essentially the the same message after crushing victories in title fights in the final two bouts of a stirring UFC 317 card at T-Mobile Arena:
Remain humble and work hard.
Topuria completed maybe the greatest hat trick of knockouts in UFC history Saturday when he crushed Charles Oliveira in the first round of the main event to claim the vacant lightweight championship. Topuria landed a jab, a right cross and a left hook that left Oliveira unconscious on the canvas for several scary moments.
The win over Oliveira followed a knockout of Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 to win the featherweight belt and then a kayo of Max Holloway at UFC 308 to defend that crown.
No one has been on that kind of run, and it’s lead to speculation that Topuria could well be the best fighter in the world.
Ilia Topuria is a bad MFer. Best boxing I've seen in the @ufc by far. #UFC317 #TopuriaVsOliveira
— caleb truax (@GoldenCalebT) June 29, 2025
Topuria is a brilliant talent, but that talent is honed by the sweat of his brow. He celebrated an imaginary victory on Friday, before the fight, because he believes if he works as hard as possible in camp, he’ll guarantee victory.
He hasn’t, though, lost sight of what got him to the top of the mountain.
“I’m not invincible,” he said. “Quit the contrary, I feel that I’m beatable. That’s why I work so hard. I put so much dedication in. I don’t want to leave anything out there.
“And I feel when the work is so well done, I feel there’s no doubt left.”
He predicted he’d knock out Oliveira in the first and went out and did just. UFC CEO Dana White referred to it as [Muhammad] “Ali shit. Picking a round and going out and doing it.”
Stephen R. Sylvanie/Imagn Images
Flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja throws a kick at Kai Kara-France Saturday at UFC 317.
Pantoja submitted Kai-Kara France in the third round to retain his flyweight championship. It was a dominant fight from beginning to end for Pantoja, a humble Brazilian who American Top Team owner Dan Lambert calls the hardest worker in the gym.
And while he’s personal style is nowhere near Topuria’s he delivered a similar message. He’ll defend against 23-year-old Joshua Van in his fight. Van won a potential Fight of the Year by out-slugging Brandon Royval.
“When I was 23, I was washing dishes,” Pantoja said. “He’s 23 and he’s fighting for the world title.”
Pantoja said when he’s in Las Vegas, he loves to engage with the fans and speak to the media. But once he’s home, he’s not one to think about his accomplishment or seek out the spotlight.
“I’m on top of the world now and I love talking to you guys,” he said. “Monday, I’ll go home and I’ll be father and try to set an example for my kids and I’ll be a good husband and show respect to my wife.”
They fought at the end of a spectacular card filled with highlights. Jose Miguel Delgado delivered a knockout of Hyder Amil in just 26 seconds.
In the next bout, Gregory Rodrigues dropped Jack Hermansson with a massive left hand that put “The Joker” out cold. He added a right hammer fist before referee Herb Dean could get there to end it.
A ringside physician said Hermansson was out for two minutes before regaining consciousness. White said Hermansson got a clean bill of health after a trip to the hospital.
It was a bombs away card from start to finish, but Topuria had the final word and he delivered.
He won the lightweight belt that Islam Makhachev vacated to move up to challenge Jack Della Maddalena for the welterweight title later this year.
Makhachev is No. 1 on the UFC’s pound-for-pound list, but Topuria made a strong argument for himself.
He shrugged it off and said he doesn’t care about that.
That said, he’s going to be a high-level star akin to Conor McGregor, Ronda Rousey and Georges St-Pierre. He’s 17-0 with 15 finishes, has crushing knockout power and is expert at submissions.
He’s flashy, well-spoken and has the it factor.
“We’ve got a star on our hands,” White said.
He’s also got plenty of options. Paddy Pimblett came into the ring and went nose-to-nose with the new champion, much to White’s consternation. White had left ringside by the time Pimblett entered, and White wasn’t happy it was allowed.
“[Topuria’s] wife and kid were still in there,” White said. “That shouldn’t have happened.”
It was a small flaw on an otherwise memorable night, one that ended with a pair of the sport’s elite champions showing superstar potential.
And they did it by getting up early and hitting the road, and pushing beyond exhaustion each day in the gym. Topuria talked about this being a new era, but they both did it the old fashioned way: By hard work.