UFC 317 fight week continues. Saturday night, before the promotion goes dark for the Fourth of July weekend next week, the promotion heads back home to Las Vegas for the final event of the first half of 2025.
T-Mobile Arena in Enterprise, NV serves as the setting for the grand finale of the UFC’s 2025 International Fight Week. As usual, Saturday night’s pay-per-view event plays out in three phases.
Early prelims from UFC 317 begin at 6:30 pm ET/ 3:30 pm PT on UFC Fight Pass (worldwide) and on ESPN+ (United States of America only.) Late prelims follow at 8 pm ET/ 5 pm PT on ESPN and ESPN+ for American audiences.
The UFC 317 main card caps the night at 10 pm ET/ 7 pm PT on ESPN+ pay-per-view. All told, barring any 11th-hour adjustments between now and the weekend, Saturday’s schedule features a full 12-fight card.
UFC 317 Main Event: Vacant UFC Lightweight Championship: Ilia Topuria vs. No. 2 Contender Charles Oliveira
At the top of the bill on Saturday night in UFC 317, the Vacant UFC Lightweight Championship is at stake when former UFC Featherweight Champion Ilia Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) puts his undefeated streak on the line against No. 2 contender Charles Oliveira (35-10, 1 NC MMA, 23-10, 1 NC UFC.)
The lightweight title has been vacant ever since May 13, when Islam Makhachev moved up to 170 to pursue a shot at the UFC Welterweight Championship against Jack Della Maddalena. This title fight will be an advertised maximum of five rounds at five minutes per round to close the show.
Ilia Topuria enters this lightweight championship clash having yet to lose as a professional fighter. Last October, he made his first and only defense of the title at 145 by defeating Max Holloway (26-8 MMA, 22-8 UFC) with a third-round knockout by way of left hook followed by ground and pound shots.
Topuria has mentioned that fighting for the lightweight championship is a dream come true. Now that his dream is becoming reality, how will he fare?
Meanwhile, Charles Oliveira has gone 3-2 in the course of his last five fights. Back on Nov. 16, during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, he bested Michael Chandler (23-10 MMA, 2-5 UFC) with a unanimous decision victory after three rounds of action.
Topuria has proven to be a tough case to solve throughout his MMA career. Can “Do Bronx” hand his adversary his first career defeat?
UFC 317 Co-Main Event: UFC Flyweight Championship: [C] Alexandre Pantoja vs. No. 4 Contender Kai Kara-France
Immediately beforehand, the co-main event of the evening at UFC 317 sees the UFC Flyweight Championship up for grabs. Current titleholder Alexandre Pantoja (29-5 MMA, 13-3 UFC) defends his belt for the fourth time when he meets No. 4 contender Kai Kara-France (25-11, 1 NC MMA, 8-4 UFC.) This fight, too, is a five-round affair at five minutes per round.
Pantoja will be making the walk this Saturday night with a record of 5-0 in his last five fights. Currently, he’s won seven fights consecutively. Last time out, he submitted Kai Asakura (21-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) with a rear-naked choke in the third round of the latter’s UFC promotional debut.
A fourth successful defense of the title would boost his already-impressive career resume even more. Only time will tell if he can hang onto the title.
Across the way, Kai Kara-France will be touching down in Las Vegas this Saturday night with a 3-2 mark in his last five fights. It’s been a long time since he set foot inside the famous Octagon, however.
Last August, he scored a first-round knockout via right cross and ground and pound shots with 59 seconds remaining on the clock. The victory netted Kara-France a $50,000 (USD) bonus for the Performance of the Night Award following the show at UFC 305 in Australia.
With 10 months away from competition, how much in the way of ring rust does Kai Kara-France have?
UFC 317: No. 1 Contender Brandon Royval vs. No. 12 Contender Joshua Van
Also on the UFC 317 main card, you’ll be treated to a flyweight showdown pairing No. 1 contender Brandon Royval (17-7 MMA, 7-3 UFC) against No. 12 contender Joshua Van (14-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) in a short-notice contest for the latter contestant. This is a three-round fight at five minutes apiece.
Royval, an alumnus of the LFA, has posted a 4-1 record in his last five fights. He’s won two fights in a row ahead of UFC 317. During the Oct. 12, 2024 UFC Fight Night at the UFC Apex facility, he outpaced Tatsuro Taira (16-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) by split decision after 15 minutes.
Van wasn’t supposed to have been Royval’s adversary this coming weekend at UFC 317. Initially, Saturday’s card was to have featured a rescheduled tilt between Brandon Royval and Manel Kape until the latter had to withdraw from the card due to injuring his foot.
Brandon Royval has only had a few short weeks to pivot from Manel Kape to Joshua Van. What kinds of adjustments has he had to make as it relates to his gameplan?
In the other corner, Joshua Van has gone 4-1 in his last five fights. Currently, he’s won four straight fights.
On June 7 in Newark, NJ, he stopped Bruno Silva (14-7-2, 1 NC MMA, 4-4, 1 NC UFC) with a third-round knockout (right cross and ground and pound) on the early prelims. It’s not often that a competitor is afforded the opportunity to bookend a month in an MMA promotion, but Joshua Van has that chance on Saturday night.
Final Thoughts
Which main card fight or fights are you looking forward to on UFC 317 this coming Saturday evening from Las Vegas? Let us know in the comments.
