Ilia Topuria makes the move up to lightweight tonight in an effort to become two-division world champion against Charles Oliveira.
Former featherweight champion Topuria has made the move up in weight after vacating his belt, and takes on ex-champion Oliveira in the headliner of International Fight Week. Both men would have been keen on a meeting with Islam Makhachev, but he has also gone up to pursue a second belt.
In the co-main event, Kai Kara-France tries to dethrone the seemingly unbeatable Alexandre Pantoja for flyweight gold. They fought already on The Ultimate Fighter, but it was just two rounds and Kara-France has now established himself as a legitimate contender.
Elsewhere on the card, Payton Talbott returns in a firefight with Felipe Lima after suffering his first defeat. Tracy Cortez also competes, as do a number of fan favorites including Beneil Dariush and Renato Moicano.
We’ll have all the updates for you right here on the Bloody Elbow live blog…
Alexandre Pantoja wants P4P credit
The flyweight champion wants his dominance to be recognized in the next pound-for-pound rankings update.
[Link]Alexandre Pantoja wins round 2
The champion was unable to dominate on the ground, but he still did enough to outpoint Kai Kara-France over five minutes.
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ROUND 1
Utterly dominant from Alexandre Pantoja who got an early takedown and controlled his opponent for five minutes.
[Link]It’s time for the UFC 317 co-main event
Flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja will put his title on the line against the heavy-handed Kai Kara-France.
Joshua Van beats Brandon Royval
The judges score it 29-28, 29-28, and 30-27 after three enthralling rounds.
Flyweights fight for title shot next
A high stakes fight between top contenders Brandon Royval and Joshua Van was officially confirmed as a title eliminator by Dana White ahead of UFC 317.
Beneil Dariush beats Renato Moicano
Beneil Dariush bounced back from a first-round knockdown to outgrapple Renato Moicano en route to a unanimous decision (29-28 X3) win in his first fight since December 2023.
Beneil Dariush vs Renato Moicano is next
Lightweight contenders are set to collide on the UFC 317 main card
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Payton Talbott returns to the win column
An exciting back-and-forth fight ends in a unanimous decision (29-28 X3) win for Payton Talbott.
[Link]Payton Talbott kicks off the main card
Highly-touted bantamweight prospect Payton Talbott will look to bounce back from his first career loss when he takes on 14-1 Felipe Lima.
[Link]HUGE KNOCKOUT!
Gregory Rodrigues brutally knocked out Jack Hermansson with a vicious left hook before hitting him with a wildly ‘unnecessary’ follow-up hammerfist.
Jack Hermansson vs. Gregory Rodrigues is next
Middleweight veterans collide in the featured preliminary bout at UFC 317.
[Link]WHAT A KNOCKOUT!
Jose Delgado obliterates Hyder Amil with a knee before hammering him with ground strikes to record a 26-second knockout win.
Hyder Amil vs. Jose Delgado is our penultimate prelim
Featherweight prospects Hyder Amil and Jose Delgado are about to throw down in Sin City.
[Link]Tracy Cortez wins!
Tracy Cortez dominated Viviane Araújo on the floor for 15 minutes to earn unanimous 30-27 scorecards from the UFC 317 judges.
[Link]UFC 317 continues with Viviane Araújo vs. Tracy Cortez
A brief break is followed by a fight between ranked flyweight fighters Viviane Araújo and Tracy Cortez.
[Link]Terrance McKinney submits Viacheslav Borschev
Terrance McKinney grabbed onto Viacheslav Borschev’s neck early and kept squeezing until he got the tap after just 55 seconds.
BANGER ALERT!
An anticipated Fight of the Night contender between Terrance McKinney and Viacheslav Borschev kicks off the UFC 317 prelims.
[Link]Jacobe Smith submits Niko Price
Jacobe Smith avoids a historic upset with a rear-naked choke win in the second round.
Niko Price vs. Jacobe Smith is up next.
The biggest favorite in UFC history, Jacobe Smith, will put his 10-0 record on the line against UFC fan favorite Niko Price.
[Link]Jhonata Diniz and Alvin Hines go the distance
All three judges score the fight 29-28 for Jhonata Diniz, who bounces back from his first career loss and improves to 9-1 in MMA.
[Link]Jhonata Diniz vs. Alvin Hines kicks off UFC 317
Heavyweights are throwing down in the first fight at the T-Mobile Arena.
[Link]Ilia Topuria gave up his featherweight title to pursue lightweight gold
Islam Makhachev has done the same to pursue gold at welterweight.
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Welcome to the Bloody Elbow live blog
We are live with coverage of UFC 317 as Charles Oliveira and Ilia Topuria do battle at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas
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