Las Vegas – UFC International Fight Week returns to Las Vegas with a pair of thrilling world championship bouts. A new UFC lightweight king will be crowned when undefeated former featherweight titleholder Ilia Topuria moves up to battle former 155-pound champ Charles Oliveira for the vacant crown. Also, UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja defends against fellow The Ultimate Fighter season 24 castmate and No. 4 ranked contender Kai Kara-France.
UFC 317: TOPURIA vs. OLIVEIRA tickets are on sale now and are available for purchase at AXS.com. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person.
UFC 317 will take place Saturday, June 28 at T-Mobile Arena with the main card at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on ESPN+ PPV. The prelims will be available on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and Disney+, as well as simulcast in English and Spanish on ESPN+, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The early prelims will kick off at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT on ESPN+, UFC Fight Pass and Disney+.
Men’s No. 3 pound-for-pound fighter Topuria (16-0, fighting out of Alicante, Spain) intends to become the 10th athlete to win championships in two UFC divisions. A well-rounded competitor, he has earned memorable finishes over Max Holloway, Alexander Volkanovski and Bryce Mitchell. Topuria now looks to conquer another weight class by stopping Oliveira in emphatic fashion.
Oliveira (35-10 1NC, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil) has his sights set on handing Topuria his first career loss. A decorated grappler, he holds thrilling submission wins against Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier and Jim Miller. Oliveira now plans to become the first two-time lightweight champion in UFC history with a show-stealing performance.
No. 10 men’s pound-for-pound fighter Pantoja (29-5, fighting out of Arraial Do Cabo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) goes for his fourth consecutive title defense. A submission ace, he has delivered exciting finishes over Kai Asakura, Alex Perez and Matt Schnell. Pantoja hopes to continue his reign atop the 125-pound division with a standout showing.
Kara-France (25-11 1NC, fighting out of Auckland, New Zealand) is coming off a spectacular KO win against Steve Erceg last year. A heavy-handed striker, he also holds notable victories over Askar Askarov, Cody Garbrandt and Rogerio Bontorin. Kara-France now looks to dethrone Pantoja and achieve his dream of becoming UFC champion.
Additional bouts on the card include:
- No. 9 ranked lightweight contender Beneil Dariush (22-6-1, fighting out of Yorba Linda, Calif.) locks horns with No. 10 Renato Moicano (20-6-1, fighting out of Brasília, Brazil)
- No. 1 ranked flyweight contender Brandon Royval (17-7, fighting out of Denver, Colo.) faces No. 6 Manel Kape (21-7, fighting out of Phuket, Thailand by way of Porto, Portugal)
- No. 12 ranked middleweight contender Paulo Costa (14-4, fighting out of Contagem, MG, Brazil) squares off with No. 14 Roman Kopylov (14-3, fighting out of Bachatsky, Kemerovo, Russia)
- Jack Hermansson (24-8, fighting out of Oslo, Norway, by way of Uddevalla, Sweden) takes on Gregory Rodrigues (16-6, fighting out of Deerfield Beach, Fla. by way of Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil ) in an intriguing middleweight tilt
- Jhonata Diniz (9-1, fighting out of Curitiba, Brazil) meets Justin Tafa (7-5 1NC, fighting out of Brisbane, Australia) at heavyweight
- No. 8 ranked flyweight contender Viviane Araujo (13-6, fighting out of Brasilia, DF, Brazil) clashes with No. 10 Tracy Cortez (13-2, fighting out of Phoenix, Ariz.)
For the latest information on additional bouts for this event, please visit www.ufc.com. All bouts are live and subject to change.
