UFC 317 results: Joshua Van out-dogs Brandon Royval in elite flyweight thriller
Joshua Van has arrived.
If it wasn't already apparent that he's elite, Van (15-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) proved that Saturday at UFC 317 when he defeated Brandon Royval (17-8 MMA, 7-4 UFC) by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) in an elite flyweight featured fight at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Van's power and timing proved the difference. In Round 1, he out-timed Royval in the exchanges and appeared to land the more effective shots. Although Rovval came on strong in Round 3, Van dug deeped and out-dogged "Raw Dawg."
In the final moments of the bout, Van may have stole the fight on the judges' scorecards as he badly stunned and dropped Royval. Though the buzzer saved Royval, he was still wobbly when he got up the shake hands with Van after the horn.
The bout was one of the year's best by many accounts. Van and Royval showed off elite technical abilities, but also provided exciting levels of violence.
Prior to the bout, Dana White said the winner of the bout would be next for the winner of Saturday's co-main event between flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja and challenger Alexandre Pantoja.
Van, 23, made his amateur debut in December 2020 and his professional debut in October 2021. He's fought at incredible pacing with 17 fights as a professional in under four years. Since a knockout loss to Charles Johnson in July 2024, Van has won five-straight fights.
Royval, 32, entered UFC 317 off back-to-back wins over Brandon Moreno and Tatsuro Taira. The victories followed a title challenge loss to Alexandre Pantoja in December 2023.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 317 results:
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Ilia Topuria KOs Charles Oliveira at UFC 317, Wins Lightweight Belt to Become Two-Division Champion (Video)
Ilia Topuria KOs Charles Oliveira at UFC 317, Wins Lightweight Belt to Become Two-Division Champion (Video) originally appeared on Athlon Sports. In a historic night at UFC 317, Ilia Topuria solidified his place among MMA's elite by knocking out Charles Oliveira in the first round to claim the vacant lightweight title. The undefeated Spaniard, moving up from featherweight, needed just over two minutes to dismantle the former Brazilian champion, becoming the UFC's 10th two-division titleholder in stunning fashion. Advertisement The T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas erupted as Topuria's pinpoint striking proved too much for Oliveira, who had never been finished so quickly in his career. From the opening bell, Topuria showcased the boxing mastery that has defined his meteoric rise. Oliveira attempted an early takedown but was shrugged off by Topuria, who then hip-tossed the Brazilian to the canvas in a display of surprising grappling dominance. Back on the feet, Topuria's jab began to find its mark, setting up the fight-ending sequence. A crushing overhand right followed by a left hook sent Oliveira crashing to the mat, and follow-up hammerfists sealed the deal at 2:27 of Round 1, leaving no doubt about the new king at 155 pounds. Advertisement Here is the finishing sequence: The victory marks Topuria's second UFC title in just 16 months, having previously dethroned Alexander Volkanovski for the featherweight strap before vacating it to pursue lightweight gold. His knockout of Oliveira joins a highlight reel that already includes his aforementioned knockout over Volkanovski, and his iconic third-round stoppage of Max Holloway—the first time Holloway had ever been knocked out in MMA. At 28 years old, Topuria's precision, power, and fight IQ may make him the sport's best pound-for-pound fighter today. "El Matador" silenced doubters with a performance that echoed his pre-fight confidence. Advertisement Topuria also fulfilled his prediction when he said in an interview with Ariel Helwani, 'I'm going to finish him in the first round.' For Oliveira, the loss is a brutal setback in his long and storied career. 'Do Bronx,' who holds the record for most UFC finishes, had no answer for Topuria's speed and power. Topuria's win sparks immediate speculation about his next move. With Islam Makhachev vacating the lightweight belt to chase welterweight gold, potential matchups against contenders like Justin Gaethje or Arman Tsarukyan loom. He also faced off against Paddy Pimblett in the post-fight interview, which is not the most compelling matchup, but it is the fight that the UFC might book in order to boost ratings. Related: Dana White's Latest Update at UFC Press Conference Puts Ilia Topuria's Championship Dreams on the Line Related: UFC Champion Sounds Off on Joe Rogan Podcast: Refuses to Fight Unless Dana White Books Dream Matchup This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 29, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
UFC 317 predictions: Topuria or Oliveira, Pantoja or Kara-France in Vegas title fights?
The UFC hosts another International Fight Week in 'Sin City' with a multi-title pay-per-view. UFC 317 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Get pick results from our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers, as well as additional analysis, below. Felipe Lima vs. Payton Talbott Records: Lima (14-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC), Talbott (9-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) Past five: Lima 5-0, Talbott 4-1 Division: Bantamweight Rankings: None Odds (as of 06.28.25): Lima -180, Talbott +150 Junkie pick results: Talbott 7 , Lima 4 Payton Talbott vs. Felipe Lima faceoff, UFC 317 ceremonial weigh-ins Beneil Dariush vs. Renato Moicano Records: Dariush (22-6-1 MMA, 16-6-1 UFC), Moicano (20-6-1 MMA, 12-6 UFC) Past five: Dariush 3-2, Moicano 4-1 Division: Lightweight Rankings: Dariush 8, Moicano 12 Odds (as of 06.28.25): Dariush +135, Moicano -160 Junkie pick results: Moicano 7, Dariush 4 Beneil Dariush vs. Renato Moicano faceoff, UFC 317 ceremonial weigh-ins Brandon Royval vs. Joshua Van Records: Royval (17-7 MMA, 7-3 UFC), Van (13-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) Past five: Royval 4-1, Van 4-1 Division: Flyweight Rankings: Royval No. 3, Van No. 15 Odds (as of 06.28.25): Royval -125, Van +105 Junkie pick results: Royval 7, Van 4 Brandon Royval vs. Joshua Van faceoff, UFC 317 ceremonial weigh-ins Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Kara-France Records: Pantoja (29-5 MMA, 13-3 UFC), Kara-France (25-11 MMA, 8-4 UFC) Past five: Pantoja 5-0, Kara-France 3-2 Division: Flyweight Rankings: Pantoja No. 1, No. 3 pound-for-pound; Kara-France No. 8 Odds (as of 06.28.25): Pantoja -265, Kara-France +215 Junkie pick results: Pantoja 9, Kara-France 2 Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Kara-France faceoff, UFC 317 ceremonial weigh-ins Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira Records: Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC), Oliveira (35-10 MMA, 23-10 UFC) Past five: Topuria 5-0, Oliveira 3-2 Division: Lightweight Rankings: Topuria No. 1 featherweight, No. 5 pound-for-pound; Oliveira No. 3 Odds (as of 06.28.25): Topuria -425, Oliveira +330 Junkie pick results: Topuria 10, Oliveira 1 Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira faceoff, UFC 317 ceremonial weigh-ins Individual staff member picks, main card Readers 85-53: Topuria (63%), (Pantoja 82%), (Van 52%), Moicano (60%), Lima (56%) Advertisement Nolan King 88-50: Topuria, Pantoja, Van, Moicano, Lima Farah Hannoun 88-50: Topuria, Pantoja, Royval, Dariush, Talbott Mike Bohn 87-51: Topuria, Pantoja, Royval, Dariush, Lima Ken Hathaway 86-52: Topuria, Pantoja, Van, Moicano, Talbott Abbey Subhan 86-52: Topuria, Pantoja, Royval, Moicano, Talbott Simon Samano 83-55: Topuria, Kara-France, Van, Moicano, Lima Matt Erickson 82-56: Topuria, Kara-France, Van, Moicano, Talbott Brian Garcia 81-57: Topuria, Pantoja, Royval, Dariush, Talbott Danny Segura 81-57: Topuria, Pantoja, Royval, Moicano, Talbott Matthew Wells 76-62: Topuria, Pantoja, Royval, Moicano, Talbott George Garcia 75-63: Oliveira, Pantoja, Royval, Dariush, Lima Preliminary card picks Viviane Araujo vs. Tracy Cortez faceoff, UFC 317 ceremonial weigh-ins Although they don't count toward the standings, MMA Junkie staff members still pick the fights on the prelims. Here are the results: Jack Hermansson vs. Gregory Rodrigues: Hermansson 10, Rodrigues 1 Hyder Amil vs. Jose Delgado: Amil 11, Delgado Viviane Araujo vs. Tracy Cortez: Cortez 9, Araujo 2 Viacheslav Borshchev vs. Terrance McKinney: McKinny 7, Borschev 4 Niko Price vs. Jacobe Smith: Smith 9, Price 2 Jhonata Diniz vs. Alvin Hines: Diniz 10, Hines 1 This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 317 predictions: Topuria vs. Oliveira, Pantoja vs. Kara-France
Los Angeles Times
3 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Ilia Topuria makes case for being UFC's best with first-round KO of Charles Oliveira
LAS VEGAS — Ilia Topuria continued his ascension up the pound-for-pound ladder with a major statement via a vicious first-round knockout of Charles Oliveira to win the vacant lightweight championship Saturday night at UFC 317. Topuria used a sharp right hand to set up a devastating left hook that dropped Oliveira to end the bout at the 2:27 mark of the opening round, fulfilling his prediction of a first-round KO while sending the announced crowd of 19,800 into a frenzy. 'I always say I represent the new generation of mixed martial arts,' said Topuria, who closed a -400 favorite at BetMGM sportsbook. Topuria (17-0), who now has 10 first-round finishes to his credit, moved up to the 155-pound weight class following a successful campaign in the featherweight division last year. He claimed that belt with a second-round knockout of Alexander Volkanovski and defended his title by finishing Max Holloway in the third round of an October bout in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Topuria, who came in ranked fourth on UFC's pound-for-pound list, joined nine others who have held a UFC belt in two weight classes. He is the first undefeated fighter to become champion in two UFC divisions. 'I think tonight was his big night,' UFC CEO and president Dana White said. 'We have a star on our hands.' Oliveira (35-11), who has the most finishes in UFC history, was hoping to become the first fighter to win the lightweight belt on separate occasions. Fellow lightweight Paddy Pimblett was in the audience and summoned to the ring, where a heated exchange led to Topuria shoving the eighth-ranked contender and igniting a rivalry from years ago. 'If you're ready, I'm here,' Topuria shouted to Pimblett before he entered the ring. White wasn't happy with Pimblett getting in the ring, knowing the history of bad blood between the two. The two have been at odds for some time, after they came to blows when Pimblett threw a bottle of hand sanitizer at Topuria's head in 2022. 'That was a heavy knockout, I'll give you that,' Pimblett said to Topuria. 'But you will never knock me out.' Replied Topuria: 'I'm going to submit you.' In the co-main event, flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja (30-5) successfully defended his belt by applying a rear-naked chokehold to defeat Kai Kara-France (25-12) at the 1:55 mark of the third round. It marked the second time the fighters met, nine years after their quarterfinal clash on the reality show 'The Ultimate Fighter,' also won by Pantoja, but by unanimous decision. Pantoja, who closed a -250 favorite and extended his win streak to eight fights, won the title two years ago when he beat Brandon Moreno by decision, and has now defended his title successfully four times. The 35-year-old Brazilian was joined in the ring after his victory by No. 12 Joshua Van, who put on a show of his own. Van (15-2-0) defeated No. 1 contender Brandon Royval (17-8-0) in a slugfest in which both fighters displayed incredible boxing skills. Van, who closed a -120 favorite, used an overhand right to drop Royval before closing out the bout with a severe ground-and-pound to secure the unanimous decision. The 419 combined significant strikes landed were the third most in a UFC fight, and the most in both a three-round bout and a featherweight clash. Moments after Pantoja's win, Van challenged Pantoja with both standing nose to nose before exiting the octagon. In a lightweight bout, No. 9 Beneil Dariush (23-6-1) survived a first-round knockdown to defeat No. 11 Renato Moicano (20-7-1) via unanimous decision. In a bantamweight battle, Payton Talbott (10-1-0) used a much-improved ground game to register a unanimous decision over Felipe Lima (14-2-0). Ramirez writes for the Associated Press.
