Ilia Topuria is who we thought he was

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Ilia Topuria, Alexandre Pantoja, UFC 317, oh my!

UFC 317 was everything we hoped it would be: chaos, violence, storylines, and a legit star-making moment for Ilia Topuria. If you missed it, or you just want to relive the madness, I’ve got you covered. We’re breaking it all down, top to bottom.

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Chapters:
0:00 Ilia Topuria is who we thought he was
7:28 Is Alexandre Pantoja the 125 GOAT?
12:21 Joshua Van and Brandon Royal FOTY
17:00 Beniel Dariush comes from behind!

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Let’s start with the main event: Ilia Topuria knocked out Charles Oliveira in the first round and became a two-division champion. He’s exactly who we thought he was. From the opening jab, Topuria set a trap and walked Charles into it—Duran-style. This wasn’t an accident. He showed his hand in the very first exchange, baited Oliveira into closing the distance, and then—boom—over the top. The read, the timing, the composure... all of it. And that finish? That’s how you announce yourself as the next global star in MMA.

Charles Oliveira did come out with a heavy kicking game plan, and it made sense—Topuria stands heavy on that lead leg. But Topuria just jabbed through it. Took the kicks, adjusted, and forced Oliveira to second-guess himself. It was calculated, calm, cold-blooded. He even handled the clinch exchanges well, showing serious Greco-style strength against the cage. We go through all of that.

Then there’s Alexandre Pantoja—man, he might be the flyweight GOAT. He made it look easy against Kai Kara-France. Walked him down, backpacked him, controlled him, and just beat him up for three straight rounds. I break down what makes Pantoja so effective, especially late in fights when he looks exhausted... and then still finds a way to dominate. His resume is getting ridiculous at this point—Brandon Royval, Alex Perez, Brandon Moreno, and now Kai.

And speaking of Royval—Joshua Van stepped in on three weeks’ notice and beat him. Clean unanimous decision. At 23 years old. That fight was insane. First round Van looked like he might run away with it, second round Royval battled back like a true contender, and in the third it was neck-and-neck until Van finally caught him clean and dropped him. That knockdown sealed it. We’re watching a future title challenger in real time. But can he go five rounds? That’s the big question now.

Beneil Dariush came back from a long layoff and handled business against Renato Moicano. Got dropped in the first round, looked like it might be a wrap, and then just turned it around. Smart wrestling, good positional control, and veteran grit. He’s not done. Still a tough matchup for anyone at lightweight—including Islam.

Peyton Talbott bounced back big. People were writing him off after the Raoni Barcelos loss, but man—he improved a lot in just five months. Felipe Lima brought the heat and Talbott still outworked him in the scrambles and kept the pressure on. That Adrian Yanez callout? Yeah, that’s a banger waiting to happen.

Gregory Rodrigues? He smoked Jack Hermansson with a left hook and then nearly hammered a hole in the cage floor. Where was Herb Dean? That hammerfist was insane. Thankfully Hermansson’s okay, but man… that’s the kind of fight that builds buzz—and controversy.

Also on the card:
– Tracy Cortez picked up a solid win over Viviane Araújo
– Terrance McKinney bounced back with a first-round guillotine
– Jacobe Smith looked like a monster early against Niko Price, gassed himself out, then still finished him—dude’s tough
– Jonathan Diniz got it done over Alvin Hines
– Jose Delgado starched Haider Emil with a nasty knee

This card gave us a little bit of everything. We got violence, we got new contenders, and we might’ve just seen the next UFC megastar in Ilia Topuria. He beat Volkanovski, then Holloway, and now Charles Oliveira—up a weight class. That’s legendary stuff. He’s got options: Paddy Pimblett, maybe Arman Tsarukyan, and eventually, yeah… Islam Makhachev. That’s the one everyone’s talking about.

And now we wait. But until then, I’m headed to Dallas for the U.S. Karate Championships to finish filming Fight Fighters Episode 7 with Olympian Tom Scott. If you haven’t watched Episode 5 yet—go do that. It’s bare-knuckle MMA, following former UFC vet Brandon Davis, and it’s probably my favorite episode we’ve done so far.

Let me know what fight stood out most to you from UFC 317. Was Topuria’s knockout of Charles Oliveira the moment of the night? Or was it Joshua Van putting the flyweights on notice?

We’ve got a new star, a wild flyweight division, and a whole lot to look forward to. Let’s talk about it.