Ilia Topuria is the strong favorite to win a second world title in a different UFC division.
UFC CEO Dana White recently announced significant news: Islam Makhachev will vacate his lightweight title to pursue the welterweight championship against Jack Della Maddalena later this year. As a result, Ilia Topuria is set to face former champion Charles Oliveira for the now-vacant lightweight belt in the main event of UFC 317, scheduled for June 28th in Las Vegas.
According to betting lines from FanDuel, Topuria has opened as a significant favorite at -400 odds to claim the lightweight title. Charles Oliveira is listed as the underdog with odds of +285.
These odds imply an 80% probability of Topuria winning the bout. A $100 wager on Topuria would return a total of $125, whereas the same $100 bet on Oliveira would yield a return of $385.
Topuria recently gave up his featherweight championship. His only title defense was a knockout victory over Max Holloway at UFC 308. Prior to that, “El Matador” secured the belt by knocking out Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298. This upcoming fight marks Topuria`s attempt to become a two-division champion in only his ninth UFC appearance.
Charles Oliveira is aiming to reclaim the lightweight title, potentially becoming a two-time champion. Known as “Du Bronx,” he initially won the title by stopping Michael Chandler at UFC 262 in May 2021. He successfully defended it against Dustin Poirier at UFC 269 in December 2021. Oliveira was later stripped of his title after missing weight before a scheduled defense against Justin Gaethje (a fight he still won, but was not eligible to regain the belt). He then lost a bout for the vacant title against Islam Makhachev at UFC 280, where he was finished.
In his fights since the loss to Makhachev, Oliveira holds a record of 2 wins and 1 loss. His victories include a second win over Michael Chandler and a stoppage of Beneil Dariush, with his sole defeat being a decision loss to Arman Tsarukyan.
