UFC 317 has concluded, featuring Ilia Topuria becoming the new lightweight champion. In Las Vegas, Topuria successfully moved up to the 155-pound division on Saturday, achieving a first-round knockout victory over Charles Oliveira. This made him the 10th fighter in UFC history to hold titles in two divisions. With three consecutive championship wins, Topuria is undeniably on a legendary streak. But where does it truly rank in history?
Writers from MMA Fighting convened to discuss Topuria`s remarkable run, Alexandre Pantoja`s fourth successful title defense and his growing legacy, and other major talking points from UFC 317.
Martin: This event was exactly what the UFC needed. Looking at the pay-per-view results earlier in 2025, they weren`t particularly strong, especially concerning star development. While Merab Dvalishvili and Jack Della Maddalena provided some highlights, UFC 317, from beginning to end, delivered spectacularly like no other card this year. It was a tremendous success.
Lee: Although it seemed potentially weak on paper, UFC 317 turned out to be a wonderfully entertaining event with significant long-term implications for the lightweight and flyweight divisions. As the saying goes, maybe building cards heavily with elite fighters in the lighter weight classes is a good strategy?
Heck: Without a doubt, the best card of 2025 so far. We`ll be talking about this event for a long time, and several year-end awards will likely be tied to performances seen on Saturday.
Meshew: Thrilling, captivating, impressive, and simply great fun.
Meshew: Regarding a three-fight sequence, Topuria`s is certainly among the elite. In my view, Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway are among the top 10 fighters of all time, and Charles Oliveira is within the top 25. Topuria has now knocked out three all-time greats, slightly past their absolute peak, in three fights, notably becoming the first to ever knock out Holloway. While other impressive runs exist, I doubt we`ve seen anything more impactful in such a short span.
Martin: His run is right there among the best, given the caliber of opponents he`s faced and how utterly dominant he`s been. His last three fights include knockout victories over two of the top three featherweights ever, Volkanovski and Holloway. Then he decisively defeated Oliveira, who hadn`t been knocked out in nearly six years! That is incredibly noteworthy. The only comparable run might be Jon Jones` sequence of beating Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Lyoto Machida, and Rashad Evans consecutively. Defeating four former champions back-to-back is truly extraordinary.
Lee: I`m inclined to agree. Every time I write about Topuria, I recap his recent victories, and it consistently sounds unbelievable: the only fighter to defeat Volkanovski at 145 pounds, the only fighter ever to knock out Holloway. Now, add a knockout win over a top-10 lightweight all-time, Oliveira, in less than half a round? It`s the greatest run ever.
Heck: It`s becoming very difficult to argue against it. Topuria represents a rare type of talent in this sport. Many fighters have had great runs, possessed immense potential, high ceilings, and significant talent. But only a select few in the sport`s history can be described as “special,” and Topuria belongs on that exclusive list. I still consider Jones` run after his DQ loss to Matt Hamill, leading to winning the light heavyweight title and through the first Alexander Gustafsson fight, to be the absolute best. However, Topuria has significantly narrowed that gap. I believe “El Matador” is currently number two, and he`s far from finished. I`m confident Jones won`t hold that top spot much longer.
Heck: This event served as a clear reminder that while the UFC might not always have huge mainstream stars, their roster is packed with exceptionally talented fighters. The fact that Alexandre Pantoja ranks number 5 on my current pound-for-pound list speaks volumes about the level of talent present right now – featuring names like Islam Makhachev, Topuria, Merab Dvalishvili, Dricus du Plessis, Pantoja, Tom Aspinall, and many others. Fans should appreciate this era where the pound-for-pound debate could reasonably include five or six fighters, and Pantoja is undoubtedly part of that conversation. Pantoja is the second-greatest flyweight ever and potentially the best fighter in the sport currently. How good is he? Extremely good!
Meshew: He`s vastly better than he gets credit for. I know following UFC 317, many will argue Topuria is the best fighter on the planet – and they might be right – but I`m increasingly convinced that title actually belongs to Pantoja. Pantoja has defeated eight ranked opponents consecutively, finishing four of them. Looking back to The Ultimate Fighter 24, he holds 11 total wins over ranked fighters. He`s beaten the number 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, and 14-ranked flyweights. Pantoja has emphatically cleared out his division in a way no other current champion has, and he`s now prepared to face the next generation of contenders. Furthermore, on Saturday, Pantoja became only the 21st champion in UFC history to achieve four or more title defenses, and just the second fighter to overcome the “35-plus curse,” following Volkanovski`s (somewhat arguable) win earlier this year. It`s time to give Pantoja the respect he deserves.
Martin: He is amazing, but I`m not sure UFC 317 revealed anything new about Pantoja that we didn`t already know. To be honest, Kai Kara-France, coming off just a single win streak, really shouldn`t have been in a title fight against him. Kara-France is now 1-3 in his last four fights, which doesn`t suggest top-tier competition. This isn`t Pantoja`s fault, as he has already convincingly beaten the best available fighters at 125 pounds. Despite the high hopes for Muhammad Mokaev to develop into a top flyweight contender, it appears Joshua Van will ultimately be the one to provide new challenges for Pantoja when they eventually meet.
Lee: He`s so good that I believe he would give prime Demetrious Johnson a very tough fight. Yes, I said it. Pantoja isn`t likely to stay long enough to break Johnson`s record for consecutive title defenses in the flyweight division. However, when comparing the quality of opposition they faced, Pantoja is right there with the all-time greats. Would Johnson have accumulated nearly a dozen title defenses if fighters like Brandon Moreno, Brandon Royval, or Manel Kape were consistently in the mix? Probably, but I consider the current flyweight roster to be stronger and deeper than what Johnson primarily faced (though I maintain that much of Johnson`s opposition is underrated). Beyond that, Pantoja is incredibly exciting to watch because he always sticks to his aggressive fight style, no matter what. That might pose a risk someday, but for now, let`s all just enjoy the show.
Lee: While it feels strange to label a fighter who just improved to 11-0 as a “loser,” Jacobe Smith… what was that performance? I appreciate a good troll as much as anyone, and I`ll admit, the third time Smith pointlessly screamed “JOE ROGAN!” at the top of his lungs did make me laugh. But the act went on too long, he didn`t use his microphone time to say anything meaningful, and the Las Vegas crowd clearly wasn`t matching his energy. Smith went from being hyped as the biggest betting favorite in UFC history to appearing like a rambling eccentric in just two minutes. He needs to rethink his approach.
Heck: I`m choosing Herb Dean because, honestly, this referee continues to perform poorly and is genuinely going to cause someone serious injury, or worse. Dean was the referee for the featured preliminary bout between Jack Hermansson and Gregory Rodrigues. “Robocop” landed a massive punch that completely stunned Hermansson, whose head hit the canvas forcefully, causing his body to stiffen. Dean ran towards them, seemingly yelling at Rodrigues to stop, but he failed to intervene physically, which allowed Rodrigues to land a brutal and completely unnecessary follow-up strike. Let me be absolutely clear: Rodrigues bears zero blame for this. It rests entirely on Dean, who once again hesitated instead of making a confident call to stop the fight. Hermansson was clearly unconscious, lying on the mat for what felt like an extremely long time. Perhaps if Dean had stepped in quickly enough, that follow-up shot wouldn`t have landed, though Hermansson might still have been unconscious for the same duration. That`s a possibility. But the uncertainty of that drives me crazy. I`ve been calling Dean “Hokey Pokey Herb” for almost five years, and his performance is only getting worse.
Meshew: Charles Oliveira. Don`t misunderstand me, “do Bronx” is already a guaranteed Hall of Famer, but that loss effectively ended his hopes of reclaiming a title. The manner of the defeat may have lasting repercussions for his career. Oliveira is 35 years old and just suffered one of the most brutal losses of his fighting life. I`m unsure how he will recover from this, but however he does, it won`t be a long chapter, and he likely won`t reach these career heights again.
Martin: Everyone in the lightweight division except Paddy Pimblett. Topuria winning the championship brought significant excitement back to what is historically the sport`s best division. Legitimate challengers like Arman Tsarukyan and Justin Gaethje seemed poised to face him. However, neither of them is likely to get the next title shot due to the genuine rivalry between Topuria and Pimblett. It would be illogical for the UFC *not* to book that fight next, given the strong animosity between them. This means Gaethje will either have to fight again or possibly follow through on his talk of retirement. Tsarukyan is arguably the biggest loser in this scenario; weighing in as the backup for UFC 317 guaranteed him nothing, and now he`s clearly behind Pimblett in the line for a shot at Topuria`s title.
Martin: This might be the most obvious answer, but it`s the correct one – Joshua Van. What an incredible story: this fighter competed and defeated Bruno Silva just weeks ago at UFC 316, apparently breaking his toe, yet didn`t hesitate when the UFC offered him a fight against Brandon Royval at UFC 317. Simply accepting the opportunity solidified Van`s toughness, but the fact that he then delivered a potential Fight of the Year performance while beating Royval is astounding. At only 23, Van now has the chance to become one of the youngest champions in UFC history (assuming he faces and defeats Pantoja next). His career narrative is still largely unwritten; in fact, we might only be witnessing the very beginning of Van`s journey.
Lee: Terrance McKinney, you are always a force. There are few certainties in combat sports, but one is that a McKinney fight will not extend beyond the halfway point of the second round, and it`s highly probable it won`t even reach the first round. There`s a good chance it won`t even last the first *minute*. “T. Wrecks” demonstrated his usual approach on Saturday, taking Viacheslav Borshchev down quickly and immediately seeking chokes. Borshchev tapped out in less than 60 seconds. I don`t know or necessarily care if McKinney ever achieves a long enough win streak to fight for a title. What I do know is that this man deserves to have 50 UFC fights before his career concludes – health permitting, of course.
Heck: While Royval and Van are obvious choices, I want to highlight the hidden gem of UFC 317 – Jose Miguel Delgado. Delgado faced a challenging and dangerous opponent in Hyder Amil on Saturday night and aggressively charged into the fight. Twenty-six seconds later, the fight was over, Delgado secured the biggest win of his career, and barely anyone remembers it happened. No bonus, no mentions, not even making it into the top five or seven discussion points with everything else that transpired. If Delgado is like Khalil Rountree (a great finish overlooked), then UFC 317 is like Jon Jones retiring (a major event overshadowing others). It was a damn good performance and finish that got lost in the shuffle. But I didn`t forget about you, Jose.
Meshew: How quickly we forget in this sport. I recall just six months ago when Payton Talbott was considered one of the sport`s brightest prospects. And just last week, people were doubting him, saying this was a poor and ill-planned matchup for him. After all, opponent Lima was now the favored prospect, and Talbott was supposedly being set up for a loss. Think again. Talbott looked exactly how an elite prospect coming off a loss should look – like someone who spent time learning from the defeat and improving significantly. Talbott`s defensive wrestling was much sharper, his grappling transitions were smooth and refined, and his striking was fundamentally sound and effective. Beyond all that, he clearly followed an excellent game plan and executed it well. Many impressive things happened on Saturday, so Talbott won`t dominate headlines, but he reminded everyone that he represents the future of the bantamweight division, and we shouldn`t abandon prospects so quickly just because they stumble once.
