UFC 317 was a tough night at the office for Charles Oliveira as he looked to reclaim the lightweight title.
Oliveira was stopped in the first round by Ilia Topuria as the undefeated star became a two-time UFC champion after moving up from featherweight.
‘Do Bronx’ was a considerable underdog heading into June 28 with fans expecting his opponent’s power to cause him some major issues, as was reflected in Drake’s huge bet on Oliveira ahead of fight night.
While the new champion has already moved on to his next fight with Topuria facing off with Paddy Pimblett inside the Octagon, it’s back to the drawing board for Oliveira.
The former titleholder reflected on his loss and thanked his fans in his first post-fight statement on social media.
- READ MORE: Ilia Topuria doesn’t think huge super fight will happen despite declaring goal for third UFC title
Charles Oliveira reflects on his loss to Ilia Topuria in his first post-fight statement
After beating Michael Chandler last November, Charles Oliveira had the opportunity to become a two-time UFC lightweight champion on June 28.
‘Do Bronx’ produced an incredibly memorable reign as lightweight champion before he was beaten by Islam Makhachev in a clash for the vacant belt, which Oliveira lost on the scales ahead of UFC 274.
While he has been able to successfully bounce back from his two recent defeats to Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan, his defeat at UFC 317 could mark the end of the Brazilian’s title ambitions.
Oliveira is so popular that he’s always going to be in the mix but it’s hard to see him getting another shot considering the potential title fights that could be on the horizon.
Along with a short message on X where he simply apologized, Oliveira reflected on his loss via Instagram and thanked his supporters following the 11th defeat of his pro career.
“It wasn’t how we wanted it to be, but for the best, I want to thank everyone for the affection and wonderful energy. God bless you all.”
‘Never supposed to be Charles’… Top lightweight contender calls out Ilia Topuria
In a post on X, Arman Tsarukyan called out Ilia Topuria and stated that Charles Oliveira should have never been his UFC 317 opponent.
Tsarukyan defeated Oliveira at UFC 300 but didn’t fight for the lightweight title after withdrawing from his UFC 311 clash with Islam Makhachev due to an injury.
“It was never supposed to be Charles. I can finish Ilia, simple as that. And he knows it too. That’s why he’s avoiding the real #1 contender.”
The #1-contender successfully weighed in as the backup fighter this past Friday but Dana White stated that this doesn’t mean he will be the next title challenger, though it is a step in the right direction for him.