International Fight Week turned out pretty good.
For weeks, UFC fans were concerned about how the card would shape up. However, as the dust has settled, we have a pretty strong card from top to bottom, with two title fights in the main and co-main event spots.
Former UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria will take on former lightweight champ Charles Oliveira for the vacant 155-pound strap. In the co-main event, long-standing men’s flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja will defend his title against Kai Kara-France.
We know those two fights will close the night at the T-Mobile Arena on June 28, but here is a look at the complete bout order, per ESPN.
UFC 317 Full Card
Main Card
- Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira – Lightweight (155 lbs)
- Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Kara-France – Flyweight (125 lbs)
- Brandon Royval vs. Joshua Van – Flyweight (125 lbs)
- Beneil Dariush vs. Renato Moicano – Lightweight (155 lbs)
- Paulo Costa vs. Roman Kopylov – Middleweight (185 lbs)
Preliminary Card
- Jack Hermansson vs. Gregory Rodrigues – Middleweight (185 lbs)
- Hyder Amil vs. Jose Delgado – Featherweight (145 lbs)
- Viviane Araujo vs. Tracy Cortez – Flyweight (125 lbs)
- Terrance McKinney vs. Viacheslav Borshchev – Lightweight (155 lbs)
Early Prelims Card
- Payton Talbott vs. Felipe Lima – Bantamweight (135 lbs)
- Jhonata Diniz vs. Alvin Hines – Heavyweight (265 lbs)
- Niko Price vs. Jacobe Smith – Welterweight (170 lbs)
The card has a little bit of everything. There are dynamic young fighters with incredibly high ceilings, like Jacobe Smith and Payton Talbott, in action. Smith is one of the biggest standouts from Season 8 of Dana White’s Contender Series.
The hardcore wrestler has explosive power in his hands and a chance to pound his way up the welterweight ranks. Price is a gamer, but perhaps positioned to be Smith’s next stepping stone.
Talbott is trying to bounce back from a loss to Raoni Barcelos in his last fight. The polarizing Talbott’s underdeveloped ground game was exposed against Barcelos. We’ll find out if he has worked to advance his skills against Lima.
The card also features two all-or-nothing action fighters: Hyder Amil and Terrance McKinney. Amil throws punches with reckless abandon, and McKinney is one of the most spectacular finishers in the sport. However, he has also been the victim of some of the most brutal KO losses in recent years.
Before we get to the main and co-main events, we have solid battles between respected veterans like Royval-Van, Costa-Kopylov, and Dariush-Moicano.
If Pantoja defeats KKF, the proud Brazilian could be staring at his next opponent earlier in the card. If Van, a fighter stepping up on short notice to face Royval, wins, he probably should be next to challenge Pantoja for the title.
Whoever wins in the main event will likely take on Arman Tsarukyan, who has said he is an alternate for UFC 317. If he doesn’t get a chance to step in for Topuria or Oliveira, he will almost certainly be the winner’s first challenger for the title.
