On paper, this yr’s combat card for Worldwide Battle Week did not seem to reside as much as the expectations followers have set. Admittedly, Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira for a vacant title did not soar off the web page in comparison with earlier IFW occasion headliners. Nevertheless, with lowered expectations, UFC 317 not solely cleared the bar, it solidified itself as the very best combat card of 2025 up to now.
No matter you wished out of a combat card, you bought: dramatic finishes, dominant performances, horrifying knockouts, thrilling slugfests and the crowning of a brand new star as Topuria grew to become a two-division champion with a brutal knockout of a fan-favorite and future Corridor of Famer.
Simply how good was UFC 317 after the principle occasion? Fairly rattling good.
After every pay-per-view, we assess the standard of every matchup and the combat card itself based mostly on talent displayed, competitiveness and what’s at stake. Listed below are the combat grades for all 11 UFC 317 bouts.
Males’s flyweight: Brandon Royval vs. Joshua Van
Consequence: Van defeats Royval by unanimous determination
Grade: A+
This was an authorized banger that formally introduced the arrival of Van as a title contender. A combat contested completely on the toes with no lulls within the motion is nearly as good because it will get. Van and Royval beat one another bloody and shattered the report for whole vital strikes landed in a combat.
Simply when it appeared that Van was working away with the combat along with his precision punches, Royval saved urgent ahead and linked with a sequence of strikes in Spherical 2 that put followers on the sting of their seats. You would really feel the drama coming into the ultimate spherical with the combat hanging within the stability, and the flyweights got here to point out out. Huge photographs have been thrown and linked, as neither fighter backed down. However Van would draw back after pulling down Royval within the remaining seconds. This was improbable. Bear in mind when there have been rumors of the UFC shutting down the flyweight division? Thank the MMA gods that did not occur. Exit of your approach to watch this frontrunner for combat of the yr.
Light-weight championship: Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira
Consequence: Topuria defeats Oliveira by first-round KO
Grade: A
When a person has a celebration dinner the evening earlier than he wins a world title in a second weight class, it is smart to take him critically.
Topuria referred to as his shot, stating he would end Oliveira within the first spherical, a feat that hasn’t been executed in opposition to the Brazilian since he was a featherweight a decade in the past. What did Topuria do? Not solely did he win the grappling exchanges, he knocked “Do Bronx” out chilly with a single punch. New weight class? No downside for Topuria. The true downside is for the remainder of the UFC.
Middleweight: Jack Hermansson vs. Gregory Rodrigues
Consequence: Rodrigues defeats Hermansson by first-round KO
Grade: A
This was as horrifying a knockout as you’ll ever see. Rodrigues waited for his second and unleashed a left hook that turned Hermansson’s lights out earlier than he hit the mat. An equally violent hammerfist adopted that left Hermansson unconscious for a number of minutes. There was criticism despatched referee Herb Dean’s approach for being too late to cease “Robocop” from touchdown the extra blow, but it surely all occurred so quick that Dean seemingly by no means would have damaged up the combat in time. It was scary to observe, but it surely’s nonetheless a wonderful end.
Featherweight: Hyder Amil vs. Jose Miguel Delgado
Consequence: Delgado defeats Amil by first-round TKO
Grade: A
How do you rip away any person’s undefeated report and make a reputation for your self? Ask Delgado, who drilled Amil with an attractive knee up the center to safe the knockout in simply 26 seconds. Depraved work.
Light-weight: Terrance McKinney vs. Viacheslav Borshchev
Consequence: McKinney defeats Borshchev by first-round submission
Grade: A
McKinney continued his streak of blink-and-you’ll-miss-it fights, as he burned by Borshchev in simply 55 seconds. The quick transition from double leg takedown to anaconda choke to mounted guillotine was mindblowing. Of McKinney’s 24 skilled MMA fights,17 wins have come within the first spherical.
Males’s flyweight championship: Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Kara-France
Consequence: Pantoja defeats Kara-France by third-round submission
Grade: B
This was sheer dominance by Pantoja, who continues to construct his case for MMA’s best flyweight. Kara-France couldn’t discover a gap to land along with his energy as a result of the champion neutralized his most necessary asset. It was merely a sport of cat and mouse, as Pantoja ultimately labored his approach to a rear-naked choke end.
Males’s bantamweight: Payton Talbott vs. Felipe Lima
Consequence: Talbott defeats Lima by unanimous determination
Grade: B-
In a vacuum, this combat was stable however not needed viewing. For Talbott, it demonstrated his enhancements in grappling since his final combat, a loss to Raoni Barcelos in January. Talbott continues to be rising as a fighter, but it surely was spectacular to see how he has advanced in a couple of brief months. The combat was extra of a measuring stick than one thing it’s good to exit of your approach to watch.
Welterweight: Niko Worth vs. Jacobe Smith
Consequence: Smith defeats Worth by second-round submission
Grade: B-
Welcome to the UFC, Jacobe Smith. Worth had nothing for Smith, who plowed by him and managed the motion with a takedown within the first spherical. Conscious that Worth was weak, Smith took him down once more in Spherical 2 and completed the job with a rear-naked choke. Straightforward work and a vivid future for Smith.
Light-weight: Beneil Dariush vs. Renato Moicano
Consequence: Dariush defeats Moicano by unanimous determination
Grade: C
In the event you lookup the definition of “workmanlike,” an image of Beneil Dariush will seemingly greet you. This efficiency was as workmanlike because it will get for Dariush, who survived an early knockdown to grapple his approach to a unanimous determination. Nothing flashy right here. Dariush acquired it executed once more, however you seemingly will not be impressed by the combat itself.
Girls’s flyweight: Viviane Araujo vs. Tracy Cortez
Consequence: Cortes defeats Araujo by unanimous determination
Grade: C
Cortez had arguably her most full efficiency within the Octagon. She did practically every part proper, beginning with a grappling-heavy first spherical to stop Araujo from opening up her offense within the second and third rounds. Cortez was dominant and punctuated the combat by bullying Araujo with floor and pound within the remaining spherical. Nevertheless, the dearth of motion from Araujo within the second half of the combat did not make this a must-see combat. As an alternative, it could be remembered because the evening Cortez turned the nook and have become a real title contender.
Heavyweight: Jhonata Diniz vs. Alvin Hines
Consequence: Diniz defeats Hines by unanimous determination
Grade: C
This wasn’t your typical lumbering heavyweight affair by which two giants are fully exhausted and bore followers to sleep. Diniz was sharp along with his hanging and saved a stable tempo, whereas Hines showcased distinctive resolve as he refused to cease coming ahead. It wasn’t essentially aggressive, as Diniz used Hines as a punching bag for many of the combat, however this was a stable heavyweight scrap.
UFC 317 combat card grade: A
With a combat of the yr frontrunner and a number of violent finishes, UFC 317 simply takes the spot of the yr’s finest combat card. There was drama (Van-Royval), scares (Rodrigues-Hermansson), jaw-dropping finishes (Topuria-Oliveira) and dominance (Pantoja-Kara-France). Most significantly, there was not an outright unhealthy combat at UFC 317. It has been a comparatively weak yr for PPV occasions, and a few scoffed on the capper to Worldwide Battle Week, however UFC 317 delivered as a can’t-miss present. Each combat fan ought to watch.