From storied boxing matches of decades past to the modern brutality of MMA, Sin City has always been at the center of combat sports. And there are few events more exciting in the combat sports calendar than UFC International Fight Week.
This weekend, Las Vegas welcomes Dana White’s promotion back to the city for UFC 317. And the main event is a matchup worthy of the glitz and glamour associated with The City of Second Chances.
The elite featherweight, Ilia Topuria, makes his lightweight debut. ‘La Leyenda’ will seek to become the tenth UFC fighter to win titles in two different divisions. Should he succeed, he’ll join an elite group that includes Jon Jones, Conor McGregor, and Georges St-Pierre.
Looking to stop him and achieve double champion status is the legendary Brazilian Charles Oliveira. ‘Do Bronx’ will be determined to take back a title that he views as rightfully his. Oliveira held the title for just under a year between 2021 and 2022 before being controversially stripped of the championship for missing weight by half a pound.
Since being stripped of the title, Oliveira’s form has been patchy. Two wins and two losses, including a loss against Islam Makhachev for Oliveira’s vacated lightweight title, have left fans wondering if this is the beginning of his decline. And sadly for Oliveira, it doesn’t get any easier at UFC 317.
Standing opposite him is pound-for-pound #3 Topuria. The Georgian fighter boasts an incredible 16-0 record in MMA, having finished 14 of his 16 opponents.
Topuria moved up to lightweight earlier this year, vacating his featherweight title in the process. Topuria gained weight with the intention of challenging Makhachev for the lightweight title. But it seems that great minds think alike. Makhachev has avoided Topuria for now, moving up to welterweight to challenge Jack Della Maddalena in his own bid to become a two-division champion.
Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira: Preview
The lightweight bout between Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira looks set to end with a dramatic finish. Oliveira more than matches up to Topuria’s finish record with his own. The Brazilian holds the UFC records for most submission wins at 16 and most finishes at 20.
Topuria is the favorite as a young and powerful all-time great in the making. He knocked out two featherweight legends in Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway in his previous two fights and will be seeking a legendary hat-trick in the form of Oliveira.
Still, Oliveira’s ground grappling game has helped him secure an impressive legacy in the UFC. If he can get on top of Topuria and smother his power, he could land a huge upset in Vegas this weekend.
So whether you’re under the bright lights of Vegas, cheering on ‘Do Bronx’ from the streets of Brazil, or going all out on the streets of Alicante and Tbilisi, it’s time to set those alarms.
Start Times
USA (ET, UTC-4)
• Early Prelims: 6:30 PM (Jun 28)
• Prelims: 8:00 PM (Jun 28)
• Main Card: 10:00 PM (Jun 28)
Canada (ET, UTC-4)
• Early Prelims: 6:30 PM (Jun 28)
• Prelims: 8:00 PM (Jun 28)
• Main Card: 10:00 PM (Jun 28)
Mexico (CT, UTC-5)
• Early Prelims: 5:30 PM (Jun 28)
• Prelims: 7:00 PM (Jun 28)
• Main Card: 9:00 PM (Jun 28)
Brazil (BRT, UTC-3)
• Early Prelims: 7:30 PM (Jun 28)
• Prelims: 9:00 PM (Jun 28)
• Main Card: 11:00 PM (Jun 28)
Argentina (ART, UTC-3)
• Early Prelims: 7:30 PM (Jun 28)
• Prelims: 9:00 PM (Jun 28)
• Main Card: 11:00 PM (Jun 28)
UK (BST, UTC+1)
• Early Prelims: 11:30 PM (Jun 28)
• Prelims: 1:00 AM (Jun 29)
• Main Card: 3:00 AM (Jun 29)
Ireland (IST, UTC+1)
• Early Prelims: 11:30 PM (Jun 28)
• Prelims: 1:00 AM (Jun 29)
• Main Card: 3:00 AM (Jun 29)
Spain (CEST, UTC+2)
• Early Prelims: 12:30 AM (Jun 29)
• Prelims: 2:00 AM (Jun 29)
• Main Card: 4:00 AM (Jun 29)
Italy (CEST, UTC+2)
• Early Prelims: 12:30 AM (Jun 29)
• Prelims: 2:00 AM (Jun 29)
• Main Card: 4:00 AM (Jun 29)
France (CEST, UTC+2)
• Early Prelims: 12:30 AM (Jun 29)
• Prelims: 2:00 AM (Jun 29)
• Main Card: 4:00 AM (Jun 29)
Russia (MSK, UTC+3)
• Early Prelims: 1:30 AM (Jun 29)
• Prelims: 3:00 AM (Jun 29)
• Main Card: 5:00 AM (Jun 29)
Japan (JST, UTC+9)
• Early Prelims: 7:30 AM (Jun 29)
• Prelims: 9:00 AM (Jun 29)
• Main Card: 11:00 AM (Jun 29)
China (CST, UTC+8)
• Early Prelims: 6:30 AM (Jun 29)
• Prelims: 8:00 AM (Jun 29)
• Main Card: 10:00 AM (Jun 29)
India (IST, UTC+5:30)
• Early Prelims: 4:00 AM (Jun 29)
• Prelims: 5:30 AM (Jun 29)
• Main Card: 7:30 AM (Jun 29)
UAE (GST, UTC+4)
• Early Prelims: 2:30 AM (Jun 29)
• Prelims: 4:00 AM (Jun 29)
• Main Card: 6:00 AM (Jun 29)
Saudi Arabia (AST, UTC+3)
• Early Prelims: 1:30 AM (Jun 29)
• Prelims: 3:00 AM (Jun 29)
• Main Card: 5:00 AM (Jun 29)
South Africa (SAST, UTC+2)
• Early Prelims: 12:30 AM (Jun 29)
• Prelims: 2:00 AM (Jun 29)
• Main Card: 4:00 AM (Jun 29)
Australia (AEST, UTC+10)
• Early Prelims: 8:30 AM (Jun 29)
• Prelims: 10:00 AM (Jun 29)
• Main Card: 12:00 PM (Jun 29)
New Zealand (NZST, UTC+12)
• Early Prelims: 10:30 AM (Jun 29)
• Prelims: 12:00 PM (Jun 29)
• Main Card: 2:00 PM (Jun 29)
Streaming Details
The main card kicks off at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT, streaming on ESPN+ PPV. Prelims start earlier at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on ESPN, ESPN+, and Disney+, with early prelims at 6.30 p.m. ET / 3.30 p.m. PT on ESPN+, UFC Fight Pass, and Disney+. To catch every punch and takedown, make sure your ESPN+ subscription is active, and head over to the ESPN+ app or website to purchase the PPV.
UFC 317 Fight Card
Main Card
Lightweight Title Bout: Ilia Topuria vs Charles Oliveira
Flyweight Title Bout: Alexandre Pantoja vs Kai Kara-France
Lightweight Bout: Beneil Dariush vs Renato Moicano
Flyweight Bout: Brandon Royval vs Joshua Van
Bantamweight Bout: Payton Talbott vs Felipe Lima
Preliminaries
Middleweight Bout: Jack Hermansson vs. Gregory Rodrigues
Featherweight Bout: Hyder Amil vs. Jose Miguel Delgado
Women’s Flyweight Bout: Viviane Araújo vs. Tracy Cortez
Lightweight Bout: Terrance McKinney vs. Viacheslav Borshchev
Early Prelims
Welterweight Bout: Niko Price vs. Jacobe Smith
Heavyweight Bout: Jhonata Diniz vs. Alvin Hines
Middleweight Bout: Christopher Ewert vs. Jackson McVey
