UFC 317: A Night for MMA History
The fight card for this year’s International Fight Week exceeded expectations. UFC 317, despite not having such resounding names compared to previous events, established itself as the best fight card of 2025 to date. The event offered everything: dramatic finals, dominant performances, shocking knockouts, and exciting exchanges of blows. In addition, it crowned a new star, Ilia Topuria, who became a two-division champion with a brutal knockout over Charles Oliveira.Detailed Fight Analysis
After each pay-per-view (PPV) event, we evaluate the quality of each matchup and the card in general, based on the skill displayed, the competitiveness, and what was at stake. Below are the ratings for the 11 fights of UFC 317.
Men’s Flyweight: Brandon Royval vs. Joshua Van
Rating: A+
A spectacular fight that announced Van’s arrival as a title contender. A fight fought entirely on their feet and without moments of calm, it’s the best you could ask for. Van and Royval hit each other until they bled and broke the record for significant strikes connected in a fight. When it seemed that Van was heading for victory with his precise blows, Royval kept pressing and connected a series of blows in the second round that kept the fans on the edge of their seats. The emotion was felt in the last round, with the fight in the balance, and both flyweights came out to give it their all. They launched themselves and connected big blows, without either of them giving up. But Van prevailed after knocking down Royval in the last seconds. It was fantastic. We remember when it was rumored that the UFC would close the flyweight division. Thank the gods of MMA that didn’t happen. Don’t hesitate to watch this fight, a candidate to be the best of the year.Lightweight Championship: Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira
Result: Topuria defeats Oliveira by KO in the first round.
Rating: A
When a man celebrates with a dinner the night before winning a world title in a second weight category, it is wise to take him seriously.Topuria predicted he would finish Oliveira in the first round, something that hadn’t been achieved against the Brazilian since he was a featherweight a decade ago. What did Topuria do? Not only did he win the grappling exchanges, but he knocked out “Do Bronx” with a single punch. New weight class? No problem for Topuria. The real problem is for the rest of the UFC.
Middleweight: Jack Hermansson vs. Gregory Rodrigues
Result: Rodrigues defeats Hermansson by KO in the first round.Rating: A
This was one of the most shocking knockouts ever seen. Rodrigues waited for his moment and threw a left hook that turned off Hermansson’s lights before he hit the canvas. It was followed by an equally violent hammer blow that left Hermansson unconscious for several minutes. Referee Herb Dean has been criticized for taking too long to stop the fight, but everything happened so fast that Dean probably wouldn’t have been able to stop the fight in time. It was terrifying to watch, but it’s still an excellent finish.Peso Pluma: Hyder Amil vs. Jose Miguel Delgado
Result: Delgado defeats Amil by TKO in the first round.Rating: A
How do you snatch someone’s undefeated record and make a name for yourself? Ask Delgado, who connected a perfect knee to Amil to secure the knockout in just 26 seconds. An impressive performance.Lightweight: Terrance McKinney vs. Viacheslav Borshchev
Result: McKinney defeats Borshchev by submission in the first round.Rating: A
McKinney continued his streak of fights that end in the blink of an eye, by defeating Borshchev in just 55 seconds. The rapid transition from a double-leg takedown to an anaconda choke and a mounted guillotine was astonishing. Of McKinney’s 24 professional MMA fights, 17 victories have been in the first round.Men’s Flyweight Championship: Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Kara-France
Result: Pantoja defeats Kara-France by submission in the third round.Rating: B
This was pure domination by Pantoja, who continues to build his case to be the best MMA flyweight. Kara-France couldn’t find an opening to connect with his power because the champion neutralized his most important asset. It was simply a game of cat and mouse, as Pantoja finally achieved a rear-naked choke submission.
Men’s Bantamweight: Payton Talbott vs. Felipe Lima
Result: Talbott defeats Lima by unanimous decision.Rating: B- In a vacuum, this fight was solid, but not necessarily unmissable. For Talbott, he demonstrated his improvements in grappling since his last fight, a loss to Raoni Barcelos in January. Talbott is still growing as a fighter, but it was impressive to see how he has evolved in a few months. The fight was more of a test than something you should seek out to watch.Welterweight: Niko Price vs. Jacobe Smith
Result: Smith defeats Price by submission in the second round.Rating: B-
Welcome to the UFC, Jacobe Smith. Price had nothing for Smith, who outmatched him and controlled the action with a takedown in the first round. Aware that Price was vulnerable, Smith took him down again in the second round and finished the job with a rear naked choke. Easy work and a bright future for Smith.Lightweight: Beneil Dariush vs. Renato Moicano
Result: Dariush defeats Moicano by unanimous decision.Rating: C
If you’re looking for the definition of “worker”, you’ll probably come across an image of Beneil Dariush. This performance was as hardworking as you can get for Dariush, who survived an early takedown to reach a unanimous decision by grappling. Nothing flashy here. Dariush did it again, but you probably won’t be impressed by the fight itself.Women’s Flyweight: Viviane Araujo vs. Tracy Cortez
Result: Cortes defeats Araujo by unanimous decision.Rating: C
Cortez possibly had his most complete performance in the Octagon. He did almost everything right, starting with a first round focused on grappling to prevent Araujo from opening his offense in the second and third rounds. Cortez was dominant and punctuated the fight with ground and pound on Araujo in the final round. However, Araujo’s lack of action in the second half of the fight did not make this a must-see fight. Instead, it may be remembered as the night Cortez turned the tide and became a true title contender.Heavyweight: Jhonata Diniz vs. Alvin Hines
Result: Diniz wins against Hines by unanimous decision.Rating: C
This was not your typical heavyweight clash where two giants are completely exhausted and bore the fans. Diniz was accurate with his punches and maintained a solid pace, while Hines showed exceptional resolve by refusing to stop moving forward. It wasn’t necessarily competitive, as Diniz used Hines as a punching bag for most of the fight, but it was a good heavyweight bout.
