12:54 a.m. ET: Ilia Topuria defeats Charles Oliveira by knockout to win the Lightweight Championship
From the start of this fight, Oliveira was evidently much bigger than Topuria. But it didn’t matter, as Topuria scored an early takedown. When the fight returned to the feet, Topuria delivered another devastating knockout. This is Topuria’s third straight title victory via knockout. Topuria is the 11th fighter to win a championship in two divisions.
Topuria was -175 to win this fight by KO/TKO/DQ on DraftKings Sportsbook.
12:27 a.m. ET: Alexandre Pantoja defeats Kai Kara-France by submission
Pantoja was a little sloppier to start this round, but then began to take Kara-France down. Pantoja is dominant on the ground and has an excellent recipe for success. This is Pantoja’s second straight victory via submission and fifth consecutive title win. Pantoja has won eight straight fights and is establishing himself as one of the greatest flyweight champions in UFC history.
12:21 a.m. ET: Pantoja vs. Kara-France – Round 2
Both fighters came out with a much slower pace. Kara-France seems a little more passive on his feet than he usually is. Pantoja landed another takedown, but Kara-France did a better job of getting back to the feet this time. Kara-France needs a higher output on the feet to get back in this contest.
10-9, 20-18 Pantoja
12:15 a.m. ET: Pantoja vs. Kara-France – Round 1
Both fighters were very aggressive from the start on the feet, and then Pantoja hit Kara-France with a level change. Less than a minute into the fight, Pantoja had Kara-France’s back. Kara-France struggled to get the fight to the feet. Pantoja is so talented on the ground and was in complete control during the first round. The champion finished the round with 4:45 of control time.
10-9 Pantoja
11:52 p.m. ET: Joshua Van defeats Brandon Royval by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
This fight started quickly with both fighters landing significant strikes, but Van seemed to land the better punches. After the first round, it was clear that even though Van is 23 years old, he belongs with the elite fighters in the division. This fight lived up to the hype and more. Both fighters landed huge shots as the second round ended.
Royval and Van delivered an incredible fight and one of the best bouts in flyweight history. This was an instant classic, with Royval and Van combining for 419 significant strikes. Van has six 100-plus significant strike performances, the most in UFC flyweight history. This is Van’s second victory in a row on back-to-back UFC PPVs. It seems like a title opportunity will be in Van’s future.
11:14 p.m. ET: Beneil Dariush defeats Renato Moicano by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Dariush started the fight well, landing multiple significant strikes on the feet, but Moicano hurt him towards the end of the first round. In this fight, Dariush did an excellent job wearing Moicano down with his relentless takedown attempts. Like the previous fight, this one could be 1-1 heading into the third and final round.
This was Dariush’s first fight since December 2023 and his first victory since October 2022. Dariush outlanded Moicano 55-28 in significant strikes and finished with five takedowns. No. 1 Brandon Royval vs. No. 12 Joshua Van is the next fight on UFC 317.
10:41 p.m. ET: Payton Talbott defeats Felipe Lima by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
The first round was a close one, with each fighter landing big punches with over 1:40 of control time. Talbott did a great job of defending takedowns as Lima was 1/5. In the second round, Talbott gained control on the ground and seemed to gain confidence as the bout progressed. Talbott was the fresher fighter entering the third round, as the scorecards could be 1-1. Talbott was a massive -920 favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook at the start of the final round.
Lima landed some significant strikes at the start of the third round, but Talbott was still controlling the pace of the contest. Also in the final round, Lima landed a takedown, but Talbott did a good job of getting the fight back to the feet. Talbott ended the fight in control on the ground, landing big punches. After losing the first fight of his career against Raoni Barcelos at UFC 311 in January, Talbott gets back on track with an impressive performance. Talbott landed 29 more significant strikes than Lima.
No. 9 Beneil Dariush vs. No. 11 Renato Moicano is the next fight.
Notable Bets Cashed
- $50k on Gregory Rodrigues ML (-198) to pay $75.5
- $25k on Under 1.5 in Jack Hermansson vs Gregory Rodrigues (+110) to pay $52.5k
Main Card | 10:00 p.m. ET | ESPN+ PPV
UFC Lightweight Championship Bout: Ilia Topuria vs. No. 2 Charles Oliveira
UFC Flyweight Championship Bout: (C) Alexandre Pantoja vs. No. 4 Kai Kara-France
Flyweight Bout: No. 1 Brandon Royval vs. No. 12 Joshua Van
Lightweight Bout: No. 9 Beneil Dariush vs. No. 11 Renato Moicano
Bantamweight Bout: Payton Talbott vs. Felipe Lima
Prelims Results
Middleweight Bout: Gregory Rodrigues def. Jack Hermansson via first-round KO/TKO
Featherweight Bout: Jose Delgado def. Hyder Amil via first-round KO/TKO
W Strawweight Bout: Tracy Cortez def. Viviane Araujo via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Lightweight Bout: Terrance McKinney def. Viacheslav Borshchev via first-round submission
Early Prelims Results
Welterweight Bout: Jacobe Smith def. Niko Price via second-round submission
Heavyweight Bout: Jhonata Diniz def. Alvin Hines via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
