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The Sun
an hour ago
- Sport
- The Sun
UFC 317 – Ilia Topuria vs Charles Oliveira LIVE RESULTS: Latest updates from huge card featuring two title bouts
UFC 317 is here with some huge bouts taking place on the mammoth card in Las Vegas. At the top of the bill, two former champions, Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira, will go head-to-head for the vacant lightweight title. The undefeated El Matador is looking to become the UFC 's TENTH two-division champion, 15 months after claiming the featherweight title, which he's since relinquished. Also on the card, flyweight champ Alexandre Pantoja will put his belt on the line against Kai Kara-France.
The Independent
3 hours ago
- Sport
- The Independent
UFC 317 live: Ilia Topuria vs Charles Oliveira time, card, updates and results
In the main event of UFC 317 tonight, Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira will clash over the vacant lightweight title, in a fight that has unique stakes for each man. In one corner is Topuria, the Spanish-Georgian putting his unbeaten record on the line as he aims to become a two-weight champion. Back in February, the 28-year-old gave up the featherweight belt to eye a move to lightweight, setting his sights on Islam Makhachev, who held the title at the time. Soon thereafter, however, Makhachev similarly vacated his title with the intent of capturing the welterweight belt. As such, Topuria was paired with Oliveira, who aims to become a two-time lightweight champion here. The Brazilian, 35, is statistically the most dangerous fighter in the UFC, holding the records for most finishes and most submissions in the promotion's history. And in tonight's co-main event in Las Vegas, Alexandre Pantoja defends his flyweight title against Kai Kara-France, the New Zealander whom he beat on The Ultimate Fighter in 2016. Will Pantoja's impressive title run continue, or can the Kiwi knockout artist find the Brazilian's chin? UFC 317 live Ilia Topuria faces Charles Oliveira for vacant lightweight title in main event Unbeaten Topuria gave up 145lb belt in February to move up to 155lb here Oliveira aims to become two-time lightweight champion after 2021-22 reign Co-main event sees Alexandre Pantoja defend flyweight belt vs Kai Kara-France Pantoja beat Kara-France in Ultimate Fighter showdown back in 2016 Early prelims: 11pm BST; regular prelims: 1am BST; main card: 3am BST UFC 317 live: Welcome! In one corner is Topuria, the Spanish-Georgian putting his unbeaten record on the line as he aims to become a two-weight champion. Back in February, the 28-year-old gave up the featherweight belt to eye a move to lightweight, setting his sights on Islam Makhachev, who held the title at the time. Soon thereafter, however, Makhachev similarly vacated his title with the intent of capturing the welterweight belt. As such, Topuria was paired with Oliveira, who aims to become a two-time lightweight champion here. The Brazilian, 35, is statistically the most dangerous fighter in the UFC, holding the records for most finishes and most submissions in the promotion's history. And in tonight's co-main event in Las Vegas, Alexandre Pantoja defends his flyweight title against Kai Kara-France, the New Zealander whom he beat on The Ultimate Fighter in 2016. Will Pantoja's impressive title run continue, or can the Kiwi knockout artist find the Brazilian's chin? Follow live updates from the UFC 317 main card and prelims, right here. Alex Pattle28 June 2025 22:00
BreakingNews.ie
4 hours ago
- Sport
- BreakingNews.ie
UFC 317: Ilia Topuria aims to become two-weight champion
In the main event of UFC 317, Ilia Topuria will aim to become a two-weight champion when he faces Charles Olivera for the vacant lightweight title. After he vacated his featherweight title, Topuria only had eyes on the 155 belt, with Islam Makhachev originally seen as the likely opponent. Advertisement However, after he moved up to welterweight, Topuria faces fan favourite and former champion Olivera at UFC 317. Photo: Sofascore. Unbeaten in his career, and knockout wins over Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski in his last two fight, Topuria is one of the biggest stars of the sport. His boxing is some of the best MMA has ever seen, and his power is something no fighter has been able to deal with. If it transfers over to lightweight, the rest of the division could be in trouble. Attempting to achieve something few have done in the sport, Olivera will have one of Topuria's most difficult assignments. Advertisement While his defense may be questionable, Olivera's willingness to put himself in danger often puts him on the path to victory. The fighter with the most submissions in the UFC, Olivera will be keen to get this fight to the ground, and force Topuria into a mistake during the exchanges. In the co-main event, the flyweight title is on the line as Alexandre Pantoja takes on Kai Kara-France. Pantoja has already defended his title three times, with his last defence against Kai Askura at UFC 310 when he won via second round submission. Advertisement Photo: Sofascore. Having already defeated most of the top contenders at flyweight, the Brazilian fighter could have his eyes on bantamweight should he win on Saturday. In Kara-France however, he will face arguably the most powerful puncher at 125 pounds, who will be eager to cause the upset in his first title shot. With injuries, close decision losses and timing often against him, the New Zealand fighter will feel like now is his time to become world champion. Elsewhere on the card, it will be a big night for the flyweight division, as Brandon Royval takes on Joshua Van, who could become the next contender if he was to defeat Royval. Van is making a quick turnaround from his win over Bruno Silva at UFC 316, while Royval is on a two-fight win streak, with decision wins over former champion Brandon Moreno and Tatsuro Taira. In his first fight since UFC 311, Renato Moicano will hope to get back on the win column when he faces Benil Dariush in the lightweight division, in a fight that was originally scheduled for January.
CNET
9 hours ago
- Sport
- CNET
UFC 317: Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira — Watch Livestream, Start Time, Full Card
Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira square off in Las Vegas on Saturday with the vacant lightweight belt on the line in UFC 317's headline act. Below, we'll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch all of today's UFC 317 bill as it happens, wherever you are in the world, and how to use a VPN if it's not available where you are. The title is up for grabs after pound-for-pound No. 1 Islam Makhachev vacated it last month to move up a weight class. For Oliveira, tonight's big fight offers a shot at redemption, with the Brazilian submission specialist getting another chance at claiming the belt after losing to Makhachev in their 2022 title fight. Topuria, meanwhile, enters the octagon with an unblemished 16-0 record, including eight straight wins in the UFC. The Georgian-Spanish fighter is aiming to make history by becoming just the 10th fighter to win UFC titles in two weight divisions, following his surprise decision to vacate the featherweight belt earlier this year. Saturday's bill also features a co-main event flyweight title bout, with Brazil's Alexandre Pantoja set to make his fourth title defense against New Zealand's Kai Kara-France. Catch all the action live by following our guide to watching UFC 317 no matter where in the world you are. Opponents Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira face off during the UFC 317 ceremonial weigh-in at T-Mobile Arena on June 27, 2025, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC UFC 317 start time The UFC 317 main card gets going at 10 p.m. ET local time (7 p.m. PT) on Saturday, June 28. Here are all the details for multiple time zones. US and Canada The main card starts June 28, 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT). The prelims start June 28, 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT). The early prelims start June 28, 6:30 p.m. ET (3:30 p.m. PT). UK The main card starts June 28, 3 a.m. BST. The prelims start June 28, 1 a.m. BST. The early prelims start June 28, 11:30 p.m. BST. Australia The main card starts June 28, 12 p.m. AEST. The prelims start June 28, 10 a.m. AEST. The early prelims start June 28, 8:30 a.m. AEST. Main event start time It's hard to say exactly when the main event will take place, but if you're looking to only watch the fight between Topuria and Charles Oliveira, ring walks will start no earlier than midnight ET (9 p.m. PT). How to watch UFC 317 in the US The UFC has a long-running partnership with ESPN. That's great news for the UFC and the expansion of the sport of MMA, but it's bad news for the consumer choice of US UFC fans. In the US, if you want to watch UFC 317, you'll find the fight night only on pay-per-view through ESPN Plus. The cost structure is a bit confusing but here are the options to watch UFC on ESPN, according to ESPN's site: Existing annual ESPN Plus subscribers can order the upcoming UFC card for $80. New ESPN Plus subscribers can buy a bundle of the UFC 317 PPV event (streaming in HD) and an ESPN Plus annual recurring subscription for $135. This is a decent deal. The ESPN Plus annual ESPN subscription will auto-renew after one year, at the price of an ESPN Plus annual subscription at the time of auto-renewal. You can do all of the above at the link below. How to watch UFC 317 in the UK MMA fans in the UK can watch all the action from New Jersey via TNT Sports and the surprisingly good news is that, unlike some UFC events on the network, this event won't be PPV. Coverage gets underway on TNT Sports 1 with the prelims at 1 a.m. BST in the early hours of Sunday morning. TNT Sports TNT Sports Watch UFC events live in the UK with TNT Sports TNT Sports is the exclusive UK broadcaster for all numbered UFC events in the UK. You can access TNT Sports in exactly the same way as its predecessor BT Sport, including via Sky Q as a TV package, as well as the option of streaming online. It costs £30 either way and comes in a package that includes Discovery Plus' library of documentary content. See at TNT Sport How to watch UFC 317 in Australia You can watch UFC 317 through Main Event on Foxtel. That means you can also watch online via sports streaming service Kayo for AU$60. How to watch UFC 317 in Canada UFC 317's main card is available to watch through a variety of PPV providers, including cable operators such as Bell, Rogers and Shaw, as well as streaming services such as DAZN, Sportsnet Plus and UFC Fight Pass. Whichever option you choose, it's a PPV fee of CA$70 across the board. It's also worth noting that early prelims will be available to stream via UFC Fight Pass, while the event's Prelims will be shown on Sportsnet and TVA Sports. Full fight card Main card Ilia Topuria vs Charles Oliveira (vacant lightweight title) Alexandre Pantoja (C) vs Kai Kara-France (flyweight title) Beneil Dariush vs Renato Moicano (lightweight) Brandon Royval vs Joshua Van (flyweight) Payton Talbott vs Felipe Lima (bantamweight) Prelims Jack Hermansson vs Gregory Rodrigues (middleweight) Hyder Amil vs Jose Miguel Delgado (featherweight) Viviane Araujo vs Tracy Cortez (women's strawweight) Terrance McKinney vs Viacheslav Borshchev (lightweight) Early prelims Sedrique Dumas vs Jackson McVey (middleweight) How to watch UFC 317 online from anywhere using a VPN If you find yourself unable to view UFC 317 locally because of incorrectly applied blackout restrictions, you may need a different way to watch the bout and that's where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds on fight night by encrypting your traffic. It's also a great idea for when you're traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins. With a VPN, you're able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the matchup. So if your internet provider or mobile carrier has stuck you with an IP address that incorrectly shows your location in a blackout zone, a VPN can correct that problem by giving you an IP address in your correct, nonblackout area. Most VPNs, like our Editors' Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this. Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US and Canada, as long as you have a legitimate subscription to the service you're streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions. Looking for other options? Be sure to check out some of the other great VPN deals taking place right now. James Martin/CNET ExpressVPN Best VPN for streaming Price $13 per month, $100 for the first 15 months (then $117 per year) or $140 for the first 28 months (then $150 per year) Latest Tests No DNS leaks detected, 18% speed loss in 2025 tests Network 3,000 plus servers in 105 countries Jurisdiction British Virgin Islands ExpressVPN is our current best VPN pick for people who want a reliable and safe VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. It's normally $13 a month but if you sign up for an annual subscription for $100 you'll get three months free and save 49%. That's the equivalent of $6.67 a month. Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. 61% off with 2yr plan (+4 free months) See at ExpressVPN Quick tips for streaming UFC 317 using a VPN
Forbes
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Forbes
UFC Tonight: What Time Does The UFC 317 Fight Card Start?
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 27: (L-R) Opponents Ilia Topuria of Germany and Charles Oliveira of Brazil ... More face off during the UFC 317 ceremonial weigh-in at T-Mobile Arena on June 27, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) The UFC 317 pay-per-view fight card goes down tonight at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The UFC lightweight and flyweight titles are on the line at the top of the event. In the UFC 317 main event, the vacant UFC lightweight title is up for grabs when former UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria faces ex-UFC lightweight titleholder Charles Oliveira. Meanwhile in the PPV co-headliner, UFC flyweight kingpin Alexandre Pantoja meets Kai Kara-France. Also on the UFC 317 main card is a high-stakes 125-pound matchup between No. 1 ranked Brandon Royval and the fast-rising Joshua Van. The UFC 317 PPV fight card streams on ESPN+ following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass. Below, we look at details for the UFC 317 main card bouts and the start time for each portion of the UFC 317 fight card. UFC 317 Fight Card: Date, Time, Location, How To Watch Or Stream Date: Saturday, June 28, 2025 Location: T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV Main Card Start Time: 10:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+ Pay-Per-View Preliminary Card Start Time: 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN+ Early Prelims Start Time: 6:30 p.m ET on ESPN+, UFC Fight Pass UFC 317 Pay-Per-View Fight Card Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira - For vacant UFC lightweight title Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Kara-France - For Pantoja's UFC flyweight title Brandon Royval vs. Joshua Van - Flyweight Beneil Dariush vs. Renato Moicano - Lightweight Payton Talbott vs. Felipe Lima - Bantamweight UFC 317 Fight Card Preliminary Card Jack Hermansson vs. Gregory Rodrigues - Middleweight Hyder Amil vs. Jose Miguel Delgado - Featherweight Viviane Araujo vs. Tracy Cortez - Strawweight Terrance McKinney vs. Viacheslav Borshchev - Lightweight UFC 317 Fight Card Early Preliminary Card Niko Price vs. Jacobe Smith - Welterweight Jhonta Diniz vs. Alvin Hines - Heavyweight Chris Ewert vs. Jackson McVey - Middleweight UFC 317 Main Event: Ilia Topuria Vs. Charles Oliveira ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - OCTOBER 26: Ilia Topuria of Spain reacts after a knockout victory ... More against Max Holloway in the UFC featherweight championship fight during the UFC 308 event at Etihad Arena on October 26, 2024 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) Topuria is a former Cage Warriors champion. He joined the UFC in 2020 with a 9-0 record. It did not take him long to make a name for himself. He was ranked No. 14 in the featherweight division after three UFC bouts at 145 pounds and one contest in the 155-pound division. Three of those scraps ended with Topuria winning via knockout. In his first fight as a ranked featherweight, Topuria dispatched Bryce Mitchell via submission in the second round, earned his first 'Performance of the Night' bonus and moved to No. 9 in the rankings. A matchup with No. 5 ranked Josh Emmett followed the Mitchell win. Topuria picked up a decision in a 'Fight of the Night' scrap. Topuria's next fight, saw him face Alexander Volkanovski for the UFC featherweight title at UFC 298. Topuria entered that bout as the No. 3 ranked featherweight. He left as the champion after knocking out Volkanovski in the second stanza. In his first defense of the UFC featherweight crown, Topuria made history, becoming the first fighter to finish former 145-pound champion Max Holloway via strikes, knocking out the ex-champion in the third round of their UFC 308 meeting in October 2024. When Topuria decided to move to lightweight and give up his featherweight title, he vowed to sit until he got a 155-pound title shot. That fight takes place at UFC 317. Topuria has a 16-0 record with eight of those wins coming under the UFC banner. NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 16: Charles Oliveira of Brazil looks on against Michael Chandler in a ... More lightweight fight during the UFC 309 event at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Charles Oliveira (35-10-0-1) has been fighting with the UFC since 2010. He won the vacant lightweight title with his win over Chandler and defended the title once, beating Dustin Poirier. He was booked to face Justin Gaethje in his second title defense, but Oliveira missed weight for that fight, which he won by submission, losing the title on the scale. Oliveira had a chance to regain the belt in October 2022, but Islam Makhachev submitted him and claimed the vacant belt. Since that loss, Oliveira is 1-1, beating Beneil Dariush by TKO in June 2023 and losing to Arman Tsarukyan via split decision in April of this year. Oliveira is coming off a November 2024 decision win over Michael Chandler. Oliveira is the No. 2 fighter in the official UFC lightweight rankings. UFC 317 Co-Main Event: Alexandre Pantoja Vs. Kai Kara-France LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JULY 08: Alexandre Pantoja celebrates after defeating UFC flyweight champion ... More Brandon Moreno during UFC 290 at T-Mobile Arena on July 08, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Pantoja won the title by split decision. (Photo by) Alexandre Pantoja (29-5) is on a seven-fight winning streak heading into UFC 317. The 35-year-old Brazilian made his UFC debut in July 2017 with a split-decision win over Eric Shelton. Pantoja's career had its ups and downs over the next three years, where he went 5-3, but he has not lost since he dropped a decision to Askar Askarov in July 2020. Pantoja won the UFC flyweight title in July 2023 on the heels of two 'Performance of the Night' submission wins. Pantoja secured the 125-pound title with a split decision win over Brandon Moreno. Since that victory, Pantoja has defended his three times, beating Brandon Royval in December 2023 and Steve Erceg in May 2024. Both fights ended in decision victories. Pantoja picked up his 19th career finish in his third title defense, submitting Kai Asakura at UFC 310 in December 2024. LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 26: Kai Kara-France of New Zealand is seen on stage during the UFC 317 ... More press conference at T-Mobile Arena on June 26, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) Kai Kara-France (25-11-0-1) was 17-7-0-1 when he got the call from the UFC in 2019. In his first fight with the promotion, the New Zealander faced a short-notice opponent in Elias Garcia. The two won 'Fight of the Night' honors for their efforts, with Kara-France picking up the decision win. Kara-France followed that victory with two more wins on the judge's scorecards. Then, in December 2019, he faced future champion Brandon Moreno on the early prelims of the UFC 245 pay-per-view card. Moreno won that bout by decision. Kara-France went 1-1 in his next two outings. He then tore off three straight wins between March 2021 and March 2022 and found himself as the No. 2 ranked fighter in the division. In his next outing, he faced Moreno, who was ranked No. 1, in the co-main event of UFC 277. At stake was the interim UFC flyweight title. Moreno won that contest by TKO in the third round. Kara-France followed that setback with a split-decision loss to Amir Albazi in June 2023. Kara-France was booked to face Manel Kape in September 2023, but a concussion during training camp prevented Kara-France from competing on that card, UFC 293. The 32-year-old would not return to action until August 2024, where he earned a first-round TKO win, and a 'Performance of the Night' bonus against Steve Erceg. Kara-France enters UFC 317 as the No. 4 fighter in the official UFC flyweight rankings. UFC 317 Fight Card: Beneil Dariush Vs. Renato Moicano AUSTIN, TEXAS - DECEMBER 02: Beneil Dariush of Iran prepares before his lightweight fight against ... More Arman Tsarukyan of Georgia during the UFC Fight Night event at Moody Center on December 02, 2023 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) Beneil Dariush (22-6-1) joined the UFC in January 2014. At the time, Dariush sported a 6-0 record with five stoppage wins. In his promotional debut, Dariush scored a first-round submission win over Charlie Brenneman. Three months later Dariush tasted defeat for the first time, suffering a knockout loss to Ramsey Nijem. Dariush bounced back from that loss with five wins in a row, besting the likes of Daron Cruickshank (submission), Jim Miller (decision) and Michael Johnson (decision). A submission loss to Michael Chiesa ended that winning streak in April 2016. Wins over James Vick (knockout) and Rashid Magomedov put Dariush's record at 14-2, but a rough patch between March 2017 and March 2018 left Dariush at 14-4-1 as he lost to Edson Barboza (knockout), fought to a draw with Evan Dunham and was knocked out by Alexander Hernandez. Dariush rebounded in a big way from that winless run, picking up eight straight victories between November 2018 and October 2022. The most significant win during Dariush's impressive run was his UFC 280 decision win over Mateusz Gamrot. Following that victory, Dariush found himself as the No. 4 ranked fighter in the official UFC rankings and matched up against former UFC 155-pound champion Charles Oliveira at UFC 289. Oliveira entered the contest as the No. 1 ranked fighter in the promotion's lightweight division. Oliveira won the fight via TKO at 4:10 of the first round, ending Dariush's winning streak. A December 2023 knockout loss to Arman Tsarukyan put Dariush on the first losing skid of his career. He has not competed since the loss to Tsarukyan. The 36-year-old Dariush looks to get back in the win column at UFC 317. INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 18: Renato Moicano of Brazil prepares to face Islam Makhachev of ... More Russia in the UFC lightweight championship fight during the UFC 311 event at Intuit Dome on January 18, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Renato Moicano (20-6-1) was riding the first four-fight winning streak of his UFC career when he stepped in to face Makhachev at UFC 311. The 36-year-old opened his run with the promotion at 3-0 record between 2014 and 2017. Since then, Moicano has been up and down. He followed that by going 5-5 over his next 10 outings before beginning his current unbeaten streak in 2022. Moicano is 7-1 dating back to June 2021. His only loss prior to his UFC 311 setback to Makhachev was a March 2022 unanimous decision defeat to former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos in a 160-pound catchweight battle. In April 2024, Moicano picked up his first knockout as a member of the UFC, decking Jalin Turner on the early prelims of the UFC 300 fight card. Then, in September 2024, the UFC tapped Moicano for the first main event of his UFC career against Benoît Saint Denis. That fight ended after the second round after Moicano left Saint Denis' face bloody and swollen. The damage Moicano put on his opponent forced the doctor to wave off the fight as Saint Denis' right eye was nearly swollen shut. Moicano enters UFC 317 as the No. 10 fighter in the UFC's 155-pound weight class. UFC 317 Fight Card: Brandon Royval Vs. Joshua Van LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 12: Brandon Royval prepares to face Tatsuro Taira of Japan in a ... More flyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on October 12, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) Brandon Royval (17-7) joined the UFC in 2020 with a 10-4 record. At the time, Royval was coming off a November 2019 submission win over Nate Williams, earning him the LFA flyweight title. Royval did not get an easy matchup in his first UFC bout, as he was booked against former UFC flyweight title challenger Tim Elliott in a slight upset. The matchup won 'Fight of the Night' honors. Royval followed that win with another stoppage in another 'Fight of the Night' bonus-winning scrap, submitting the favored Kai Kara-France in the second round of their September 2020 matchup. Royval ended 2020 with a TKO loss to Brandon Moreno and began 2021 with a submission setback to Alexandre Pantoja. Both those men would go on to hold the UFC flyweight title. Bouncing back from those losses, Royval went on a three-fight winning streak, picking up another two performance-based bonuses. Then, in December 2023, he got a chance to avenge his submission loss to Pantoja in a matchup for Pantoja's title. That bout took place at UFC 296, and although Royval went the five-round distance, he was on the wrong end of a unanimous decision. Royval returned in the win column in February 2024 with a split decision triumph over Moreno in another five-round scrap. In October, Royval defeated the rising Tatsuro Taira in the main event of a UFC Fight Night card, beating the 25-year-old by split decision. The 32-year-old Royval has four knockout wins, nine submissions, and four decisions. Royval's losses have come by knockout (one), submission (one), and decision (five). LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 08: Joshua Van of Myanmar enters the Octagon in a flyweight fight during ... More the UFC 313 event at T-Mobile Arena on March 08, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Joshua Van (14-2) won the vacant Fury FC flyweight title in his eighth pro bout, submitting Cleveland McLean in the second round of that matchup. Not long after that, Van was booked to face Kevin Borjas on a Dana White's Contender Series Card, but the UFC plucked him from that event to face Zhalgas Zhumagulov in June 2024. Van won that contest by split decision. Van followed that victory with wins over Kevin Borjas and Felipe Burns. In July 2024, the UFC booked Van against the more experienced Charles Johnson. While Van had success in the first two rounds, he wilted under Johnson's pressure early in the third stanza. Johnson won the bout via knockout. Since that loss, Van has gone 4-0 with three decisions and in his most recent trip to the Octagon, a knockout. Van has looked better in each of his UFC fights and he seems ready to face high-level competition, but the No. 1 ranked contender? No one should question Van for accepting the opportunity to face Royval, but it could be too much too soon for the 23-year-old. Van has seven knockout wins, two submissions and five decisions. His losses have come by knockout and submission. UFC 317 Fight Card: Payton Talbott Vs. Felipe Lima INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 17: Payton Talbott poses on the scale during the UFC 311 ceremonial ... More weigh-in at Intuit Dome on January 17, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC) Payton Talbott (9-1) joined the UFC in August 2023 when UFC CEO Dana White awarded him a deal for his decision win over Reyes Cortez Jr. on a Dana White's Contender Series card. With his win that night at the UFC Apex, Talbott moved to 6-0. At the time, White said, "Payton broke the record for significant strikes tonight, I think it was 145, in that ball park, I don't have the official number (145 of 282). "This kid is an absolute predator. He keeps moving forward. He seems unfazed by by everything that happened. He plays the mental game. He's talking to his opponent… Payton hit him (Cortez) with everything tonight. Big shots, combinations, leg kicks, head kicks, you name it. He's only 24 years old. 'If this kid can keep his head together, I can't wait to see him at 27' Talbott shined in his first three UFC bouts, picking up stoppage wins over Nick Aguirre (submission), Cameron Saaiman (TKO), and Yanis Ghemmour (KO). In his third outing with the promotion, the UFC decided to give Talbott a test, matching him up against a veteran competitor in Raoni Barcelos. Barcelos was a +675 betting underdog to Talbott, who was listed at -1050, at UFC 311. Barcelos picked up eight takedowns and nearly 10 minutes of control time and added two submission attempts during the matchup. Sure, Talbott had the better striking, but he had no answer for Barcelos's focus on getting the fight to the mat. Talbott appears to be skilled and coachable. At UFC 317, he gets the opportunity to show how he has improved his overall MMA game. Talbott does not turn 27 until September 9. TAMPA, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 14: Felipe Lima of Brazil prepares to face Miles Johns in a featherweight ... More fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Amalie Arena on December 14, 2024 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) Felipe Lima (14-1) joined the UFC in June 2024 as a late replacement for the injured Melsik Baghdasaryan against Muhammad Naimov. Lima, a former Oktagon MMA bantamweight champ, was training for a defense of that title when he accepted the call from the UFC to compete at 145. Lima ended Naimov's six-fight winning streak via submission on that night, earning a 'Performance of the Night' bonus in the process. Lima followed that with a December 2024 decision win over Miles Johns on the UFC Tampa card. Lima lost his first professional fight in 2015, but the 27-year-old is undefeated since then with 14 consecutive wins. Stay tuned for more coverage from the UFC 317 fight card. Including live UFC 317 results, reactions, recaps and video highlights during tonight's event.
