RADIO
Jackson's UFC 317 fight card and lightweight rankings breakdown. Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira will face off for the UFC lightweight title after Islam Makhachev vacates belt.
UFC CEO and president Dana White dropped exciting news on Tuesday that is sure to shake up the MMA world. Ultimate Fighting Championship fans have been anxiously awaiting the announcement of which bout will headline International Fight Week at UFC 317 after the report that Alex Pereira turned down the rematch against Light Heavyweight Champion Magomed Ankalaev on June 28.
The wait is over, and the fight card for T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas is stacked. The fight card announcement also brings clarity to another division, as the pound-for-pound No. 1 fighter in the world, Islam Makhachev, is moving up a weight class after clearing out the lightweight contenders.
Let's waste no more time and dive into the full fight card and development from White's Instagram Live session on Tuesday evening. Buckle up, as we're in for an incredible next few months of UFC PPVs.
Islam Makhachev Vacates UFC Lightweight Title
Many have speculated that this move was coming, and it is now official. Makhachev, who is riding a 15-fight winning streak with victories over top contenders Alexander Volkanovski, Dustin Poirier, Charles Oliveira, and Renato Moicano, feels like he has nothing else to prove at 155 pounds, and the Dagestani was massive for the weight class.
With friend and training partner Belal Muhammad losing his welterweight crown at UFC 315, the timing is perfect for Makhachev to challenge for another belt.
Islam Makhachev has VACATED his lightwelt belt to move up to the welterweight division and face Jack Della Maddalena, says Dana White 😮 pic.twitter.com/24QDp7mcwW
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 13, 2025
The new welterweight champion, Jack Della Maddalena, just got out of a five-round war with Muhammad, so it remains to be seen when that superfight will take place. Expect Khabib Nurmagomedov's pupil to be a solid betting favorite in that bout. And if he wins, he will cement himself as one of the greatest UFC fighters of all time.
The 33-year-old doesn't take a ton of damage when he fights, but you never know how many times he'll make the walk to the Octagon. Don't miss a chance to watch him perform.
Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira - UFC 317 Fight Card
While many wanted to see Topuria take on Makhachev for the 155-pound crown, Muhammad's loss all but guaranteed Makhachev would leave the division. Getting to see the former featherweight champion take on Oliveira, a fan favorite, is a nice consolation prize. Oliveira holds the UFC records for the most finishes (20), fight night bonuses (20), and submission wins (16).
He was once viewed as a middle-of-the-road fighter, but he has developed into one of the company's most exciting performers as his striking skills have caught up with his Brazilian jiu jitsu.
Do Bronx is confident in his abilities 👀
Could he knockout Ilia Topuria at lightweight? pic.twitter.com/o6mBef4UYJ
— Combat Buzz (@CombatBuzzX) March 18, 2025
On June 28, he'll face one of the toughest challenges of his career, as he shares the Octagon with the undefeated Topuria, who has finished 14 of his 16 career fights. Topuria is just 28 years old and relatively "new" to the UFC, yet he has victories over the two greatest featherweights of all time, Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway.
While the Georgian has been more of a knockout artist in the UFC, he has elite grappling skills and is well-rounded overall. According to DraftKings Sportsbook, Topuria is nearly a 4-to-1 favorite to win his second belt in under five years in the UFC.
Charles Oliveira will take on Ilia Topuria in the main event at #UFC317 for the vacant UFC lightweight title, Dana White announced. pic.twitter.com/ifAS2GuKHC
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 13, 2025
This fight is a prime contender to win "Fight of the Night," and anything short of that can be considered a disappointment.
Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Kara-France - UFC 317 Fight Card
For whatever reason, UFC fans don't get overly excited about the flyweight division. However, it's time to start paying respect to Alexandre Pantoja, who has three title defenses to his name. Only Makhachev has more consecutive title defenses among active champions.
Pantoja has defeated the best the division has to offer, including Brandon Royval, Brandon Moreno, Manel Kape, Steve Erceg, and Alex Perez. He made quick work of former Rizin Bantamweight Champion Kai Asakura in his last outing via second-round submission.
Alexandre Pantoja will defend his flyweight title against Kai Kara-France at #UFC317 on June 28 in Las Vegas, Dana White announced.
This bout will serve as the co-main event. pic.twitter.com/0FHFFHNpnC
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 14, 2025
If he can take out Kai Kara-France, the company is running out of options for challengers to take him on, and he can establish himself as one of the flyweight GOATs. Kara-France has lost two of his last three fights and is somewhere around a 2-to-1 underdog to take home the UFC gold.
More UFC 317 Fights and Lightweight Rankings
Needless to say, the news about Makhachev moving up and the fallout that sets up Topuria vs. Oliveira are two of the biggest developments in the UFC this year. And a co-main event for a title is always a treat. However, there are more exciting matchups on this card.
No. 1 flyweight contender Brandon Royval will scrap with Manel Kape, which could determine who the next challenger for the 125-pound crown will be. Then, No. 9-ranked lightweight Beneil Dariush will take on No. 10 Renato "Money" Moicano in a bout that was supposed to take place at UFC 311.
A heavyweight bout between Jhonata Diniz and Justin Tafa and a women's strawweight fight between Viviane Araujo and Tracy Cortez have also been made official. We'll also get our next look at Paulo Costa (vs. Roman Kopylov) and Jack Hermansson (vs. Gregory Rodrigues). More fights for the card will be announced between now and the Saturday night event.
COMIN’ IN HOT 🔥
IFW 2025 is going to be FUN!#UFC317 | Tickets on sale Friday pic.twitter.com/yMuzDaHhep
— UFC (@ufc) May 13, 2025
UFC 316, 318, 319 Updates
Luckily for us, Dana White and the UFC are giving us plenty to look forward to in the coming months. The Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O'Malley rematch for the Bantamweight crown was announced a while ago, and it'll take place on June 7 in New Jersey at UFC 316. Dvalishvili dominated O'Malley in the grappling game last year in the Las Vegas Sphere, and he remains a heavy favorite in the rematch.
Next PPV… #UFC316 Main Card! pic.twitter.com/heZ7kzL5XK
— DiaztwinsMMA (@DiaztwinsMMA) May 13, 2025
That one will be co-mained by Julianna Pena defending her women's bantamweight title against fast-rising judo Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison. At UFC 318, Dustin Poirier will have his retirement fight against Max Holloway in what will be a prime contender for "Fight of the Year."
Those main events are about as good as you will see in the sport, but White dropped one last piece of information this week, and it pertained to UFC 319. After months of speculation, the Dricus Du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev fight has finally been made official.
There were rumors that Du Plessis suffered a recent injury, but the fight is on for August 16. Hopefully, Chimaev doesn't have any weight-cutting hiccups to interrupt the middleweight title fight.
Dricus Du Plessis will defend his middleweight title against Khamzat Chimaev at #UFC319 in Chicago on Aug. 16, Dana White announced. pic.twitter.com/Ts0EFlZp9S
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 13, 2025
The current line sits at -198 in favor of Chimaev, a 14-0 mauler who has won the majority of his fights with ease.
