UFC CEO Dana White recently announced that the UFC lightweight title is now vacant, and Islam Makhachev will move up to face Jack Maddalena for the welterweight championship.
Makhachev has been open about his plans to move to welterweight but remained patient due to his close ties with former champion and teammate Belal Muhammad. Now that the title has a new holder, Makhachev is ready to follow through on his intentions and compete for gold in the higher division.
Meanwhile, Ilia Topuria is set to make his lightweight debut. However, he won’t be squaring off with Makhachev just yet. Instead, he will face Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title.
“El Matador” last appeared in the Octagon at UFC 308 in October, where he scored a spectacular knockout victory over Max Holloway, extending his undefeated promotional record to 8-0.
Oliveira, on the other hand, will pursue the undisputed 155-pound title for the third time. He comes off a dominant unanimous decision win over Michael Chandler in their UFC 309 rematch. “Do Bronx” first captured the lightweight belt at UFC 262 with a decisive victory over Chandler, then successfully defended it against Dustin Poirier at UFC 269.
The co-main event of UFC 317 will feature flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja defending his title against Kai Kara-France.
