The annual International Fight Week pay-per-view is always one of the biggest, most star-studded events on the UFC calendar each year.
A mix of intriguing talents and compelling matchups carrying major divisional significance line the undercard, while crucial championship pairings top the marquee, and this year is no different. Saturday’s UFC 317 lineup is one of the best of the year, headlined by a pair of fascinating title clashes and supported by a cavalcade of quality pairings featuring a blend of prospects, veterans, and all-action talents.
Rather than continuing to wax poetic about the goodness on tap, let’s just get into it, shall we?
Read: Coach Conversation | UFC 317: Topuria vs Oliveira
Main Event: Ilia Topuria vs Charles Oliveira
Co-Main Event: Alexandre Pantoja vs Kai Kara-France
Location: T-Mobile Arena — Las Vegas, NV
Where to Watch: ESPN / ESPN+ / Disney+ / UFC Fight Pass
Other Main Card Matches:
• Beneil Dariush vs Renato Moicano
• Brandon Royval vs Joshua Van
• Payton Talbott vs Felipe Lima
Prelim Matches:
• Jack Hermansson vs Gregory Rodrigues
• Hyder Amil vs Jose Delgado
• Viviane Araujo vs Tracy Cortez
• Terrance McKinney vs Viacheslav Borshchev
• Jhonata Diniz vs Alvin Hines
• Niko Price vs Jacobe Smith
• Christopher Ewert vs Jackson McVey
Lightweight Championship Main Event: Ilia Topuria vs Charles Oliveira
The finale to this weekend’s fight card pits Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira against one another with the vacant lightweight title hanging in the balance.
Topuria moves up to the 155-pound weight class following a monumental year at featherweight in 2024, where he claimed the title with a second-round knockout of Alexander Volkanovski before successfully defending the strap by finishing Max Holloway in the third round of their late October tussle in Abu Dhabi. Now the undefeated 28-year-old ventures up a division in search of another championship victory and a place alongside the nine individuals that have held UFC gold in two weight classes.
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Oliveira steps into the Octagon looking to etch his name in the history books as well, seeking to become the first fighter to ever win the UFC lightweight title on two separate occasions. Last year, “Do Bronxs” dropped a competitive decision to Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300 before rebounding with a dominant decision win over Michael Chandler at UFC 309 in New York City, moving him into a three-way tie with Donald Cerrone and Andrei Arlovski for the second-most wins in UFC history.
There are myriad questions that hang over this contest, including how Topuria will handle the move up in weight, and how the former champion Oliveira will approach this matchup. All of those queries and several others will be answered in 25 minutes or less as these two battle it out for divisional supremacy on Saturday night in Las Vegas.
Nine years after meeting in the quarterfinal round on Season 24 of The Ultimate Fighter, Alexandre Pantoja and Kai Kara-France will meet for a second time in the UFC 317 co-main event, and this time, the victor will be leaving Las Vegas as the flyweight champion.
Pantoja claimed the title from Brandon Moreno two years ago during International Fight Week, edging out the Mexican standout on the scorecards at UFC 290. Since then, the 35-year-old Brazilian has collected a trio of successful title defenses, most recently running through Japanese challenger Kai Asakura at UFC 310 last December.
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City Kickboxing’s Kara-France touches down in Las Vegas for his second championship opportunity in the UFC, having previously come up short against Moreno in a battle for the interim flyweight title at UFC 277. Last time out, the heavy-handed Maori standout waltzed into the Octagon and stopped hometown boy Steve Erceg in Perth, literally punching his ticket to a title fight.
So much has changed since their first encounter that it’s difficult to give much weight to the outcome of that fight, which ended with Pantoja winning a unanimous decision. Though the champion doesn’t mind a good dust-up, this matchup profiles as a classic “grappler versus striker” pairing where the outcome will likely hinge on who is able to dictate the terms of engagement and utilize their lead weapons most.