How the commentary lineup could shape fan buzz for the Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira main event
How the commentary lineup could shape fan buzz for the Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira main event (Image Source: Getty Images)
Officials from the Ultimate Fighting Championship have finalised an upgraded broadcast team structure for UFC 317, featuring Ilia Topuria against Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas this Saturday.
This is their most competitive commentary team that many believe they have seen in 2025, with Jon Anik serving as the lead on the play-by-play call alongside the greatest of all time, Joe Rogan and UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier. The team choosing this strategy of broadcasting also indicates the significance of the main event on International Fight Week, as Topuria will attempt to win his second divisional title after relinquishing the featherweight championship in February.
Jon Anik and Joe Rogan lead the premium commentary configuration
The choice of having Jon Anik, Joe Rogan, and Daniel Cormier in the same event is the Ultimate Fighting Championship's way of ensuring that the fight between Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira is presented with optimum production quality. The preparation and statistical expertise of Jon Anik set the perfect stage for Joe Rogan to deliver his technical analysis and Daniel Cormier to offer his championship-level analysis.
This three-man team has made some of the most memorable calls in Ultimate Fighting Championship history, such as several title fights during 2024 and the beginning of 2025.
Megan Olivi will be the in-house reporter during the evening, interviewing fighters and generally reporting behind the scenes. She has the experience of covering high-profile Ultimate Fighting Championship events, and this makes her invaluable in giving the emotional intensity behind the lightweight debut of Ilia Topuria and the championship redemption journey that Charles Oliveira seeks.
The broadcast team is also composed of Brendan Fitzgerald at the analysis desk, aided by the former Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz, and former title challengers Chael Sonnen and Anthony Smith.
Ilia Topuria says Islam Makhachev ran away, predicts KO vs. Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 | ESPN MMA
International Fight Week demands elevated broadcast standards
The improvement of the broadcast team of Ultimate Fighting Championship is directly linked to the prestige of the International Fight Week, as well as the legacy of the possible two-division champion Ilia Topuria.
It will also include a flyweight title defence by Alexandre Pantoja against Kai Kara-France in the co-main event, which would make the atmosphere a double-championship affair, and thus would require premium commentary coverage.
Charles Oliveira is coming into the fight to reclaim his lightweight title in the wake of his prior title reign between 2021 and 2022, introducing elements of the story that can only be handled by experienced broadcast professionals.
The primary card will start at 10:00 PM Eastern Time on ESPN+ pay-per-view, and the prelims will take place earlier in the evening. UFC has smartly placed this event as the main event of International Fight Week, which features Ultimate Fighting Championship BJJ series finals, Hall of Fame induction ceremony and official weigh-ins on Friday.
Also Read:
Could Tom Aspinall have been the reason behind Jon Jones' early retirement?
The shakeup of the broadcast team to provide the coverage of UFC 317 highlights Ultimate Fighting Championship understanding that the match between Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira is potentially a watershed moment in the history of the lightweight division and that there is nothing that could be done to cover all the crucial moments of this title fight except their best commentating team.
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