UFC 317 Fight Card, Best Odds, And a Few Wild Predictions

Last month, UFC CEO and President Trump’s BFF Dana White took to Instagram to announce main and co-main events for the Vegas-bound UFC 317 slated for June 28th. As anticipated, the headliner bout will see former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira and former featherweight champ Ilia Topuria trade punches for the vacant lightweight title.

The rest of the fight card is no less impressive. Hard-hitting Alexandre Pantoja is facing Kai Kara-France, while in the only ladies’ showdown of the evening, Viviane Araujo matches up with Tracy Cortez.

UFC 317 Fight Card

Let’s step into the Octagon to narrow down the schedule for the upcoming UFC 317 event.

Ilia Topuria vs Charles Oliveira

UFC 317 main event is a contest between Oliveira and Topuria, who get a crack at the lightweight title after Islam Makhachev moved to the UFC welterweight division to fight Jack Della Maddalena later in the year.

Both men are chasing history. Charles’ Do Bronxs’ Oliveira aims to become the first UFC fighter to clinch the lightweight title for the second time. He’s already in history books as having the second-most victories in UFC (alongside Donald Cerrone and Andrei Arlovski).

For his part, the undefeated Ilia Topuria sets his sights on becoming only the tenth fighter to hold two division straps around his waist, having won and later defended the featherweight title in 2024. Indeed, the main question of the night is how El Matador handles the 155-pound weight class—and no less than against a former division champion and a man with the most finishes in UFC history.

Topuria is heavily favoured by the bookies, though. Shuffle has a dedicated UFC 317 page and is giving 1.20 on El Matador (or La Leyenda, as he likes to be called now). Likewise, the Shuffle chances of going the distance are very low (4.20). Call me crazy, but I can see it happening.

Alexandre Pantoja vs Kai Kara-France

In a rematch of Season 24 of The Ultimate Fighter, Pantoja and Kara-France will go again in the co-main event of UFC 317. Only this time, at the end of the dance, one man will be crowned the flyweight champion.

Since their original tussle nine years ago, Pantoja, who won that unofficial bout on scorecards, beat Brandon Moreno to win the flyweight title. The Cannibal has also defended the title on three occasions, most notably in a submission win against Kai Asakura. Pantoja’s dominant run of title defences prompted some to deem him the best flyweight after Demetrious’ Mighty Mouse’ Johnson.

Kara-France, on the other hand, had a more winding road to success. The Kiwi’s only shot at the interim title ended in a narrow loss to Brandon Moreno. But Don’t Blink has found his MMA knockout touch lately and established himself as one of the most viable title contenders in the division.

But despite Kai’s credentials, Pantoja looks untouchable at this point in time, and Ybet’s odds of 1.42 is Christmas come early. Yeah, the fight will be more competitive than Pantoja’s last Octagon visit, but the champ should wrap this one up.

Payton Talbott vs Felipe Lima

The bantamweight battle between Payton Talbott and Felipe Lima was a late addition to the UFC 317 fight card, but boy am I thrilled to see it. Although none of the fighters is headline-ready yet, this would give us the answer as to who’s the most promising young talent in the division.

Talbott broke into UFC in 2023 in spectacular fashion, having strung together three stoppage wins against Nick Aguirre, Cameron Saaiman, and Yanis Ghemmour. But then he met his match in veteran Raoni Barcelos, who taught the young fighter an important grappling lesson and handed Talbot his first and only defeat.

Felipe Lima is on a different trajectory. Having joined the UFC in June 2024 as a replacement for injured Melsik Baghdasaryan, the young Brazilian knows no defeat in the division. Lima’s only loss came in his first competitive match in 2015 and is on a 14:0 run since.

And the bokkies? Stake has Lima as a favourite at 1.53, and indeed, he’s the more rounded fighter of the two. Lima’s wins are also more impressive, and although Talbott has a point to prove in the Octagon, his grappling is too much of a limitation for someone like Felipe.

Viviane Araujo vs Tracy Cortez (ladies)

The only ladies’ scuffle of the night is the flyweight showdown between Viviane Araújo and Tracy Cortez. A win here would bring each closer to a shot at the title—currently in the hands of Valentina Shevchenko.

They say that styles make fights, and the two fighters cannot be further apart. Cortez is highly in favour of bringing the opponents down to the canvas, while Araújo prefers to fight standing up. It’s your classic striker vs. grappler matchup: whoever executes the obvious game plan better will move up the flyweight eliminator fight ladder.

With that said, the fight will likely go to decision. Cortez is currently on an eight-fight decision streak, while Araujo is on an eleven-fight decision streak. The odds are shifting Cortez’s way as Playbet.io currently has her at 1.40.

Whatever happens at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, and the boxing fan in me is rooting ever so slightly for Araújo, June 28th is going to be a hell of a night for everyone involved. Good or otherwise.