Andreas Hale
On paper, this year’s fight card for International Fight Week didn’t appear to live up to the expectations fans have set. Admittedly, Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira for a vacant title didn’t jump off the page compared to previous IFW event headliners. However, with lowered expectations, UFC 317 not only cleared the bar, it solidified itself as the best fight card of 2025 thus far.
Whatever you wanted out of a fight card, you got: dramatic finishes, dominant performances, frightening knockouts, thrilling slugfests and the crowning of a new star as Topuria became a two-division champion with a brutal knockout of a fan-favorite and future Hall of Famer.
Just how good was UFC 317 after the main event? Pretty damn good.
After each pay-per-view, we assess the quality of each matchup and the fight card itself based on skill displayed, competitiveness and what is at stake. Here are the fight grades for all 11 UFC 317 bouts.
Men’s flyweight: Brandon Royval vs. Joshua Van
Result: Van defeats Royval by unanimous decision
Grade: A+
This was a certified banger that formally announced the arrival of Van as a title contender. A fight contested entirely on the feet with no lulls in the action is as good as it gets. Van and Royval beat each other bloody and shattered the record for total significant strikes landed in a fight.
Just when it seemed that Van was running away with the fight with his precision punches, Royval kept pressing forward and connected with a series of strikes in Round 2 that put fans on the edge of their seats. You could feel the drama entering the final round with the fight hanging in the balance, and the flyweights came to show out. Big shots were thrown and connected, as neither fighter backed down. But Van would pull away after knocking down Royval in the final seconds. This was fantastic. Remember when there were rumors of the UFC shutting down the flyweight division? Thank the MMA gods that didn’t happen. Go out of your way to watch this frontrunner for fight of the year.
Lightweight championship: Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira
Result: Topuria defeats Oliveira by first-round KO
Grade: A
When a man has a celebration dinner the night before he wins a world title in a second weight class, it’s wise to take him seriously.
Topuria called his shot, stating he would finish Oliveira in the first round, a feat that hasn’t been done against the Brazilian since he was a featherweight a decade ago. What did Topuria do? Not only did he win the grappling exchanges, he knocked “Do Bronx” out cold with a single punch. New weight class? No problem for Topuria. The real problem is for the rest of the UFC.
Middleweight: Jack Hermansson vs. Gregory Rodrigues
Result: Rodrigues defeats Hermansson by first-round KO
Grade: A
This was as frightening a knockout as you will ever see. Rodrigues waited for his moment and unleashed a left hook that turned Hermansson’s lights out before he hit the mat. An equally violent hammerfist followed that left Hermansson unconscious for several minutes. There has been criticism sent referee Herb Dean’s way for being too late to stop “Robocop” from landing the additional blow, but it all happened so fast that Dean likely never would have broken up the fight in time. It was scary to watch, but it’s still an excellent finish.
Featherweight: Hyder Amil vs. Jose Miguel Delgado
Result: Delgado defeats Amil by first-round TKO
Grade: A
How do you rip away somebody’s undefeated record and make a name for yourself? Ask Delgado, who drilled Amil with a beautiful knee up the middle to secure the knockout in just 26 seconds. Wicked work.
Lightweight: Terrance McKinney vs. Viacheslav Borshchev
Result: McKinney defeats Borshchev by first-round submission
Grade: A
McKinney continued his streak of blink-and-you’ll-miss-it fights, as he burned through Borshchev in just 55 seconds. The fast transition from double leg takedown to anaconda choke to mounted guillotine was mindblowing. Of McKinney’s 24 professional MMA fights,17 wins have come in the first round.
Men’s flyweight championship: Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Kara-France
Result: Pantoja defeats Kara-France by third-round submission
Grade: B
This was sheer dominance by Pantoja, who continues to build his case for MMA’s greatest flyweight. Kara-France could not find an opening to land with his power because the champion neutralized his most important asset. It was simply a game of cat and mouse, as Pantoja eventually worked his way to a rear-naked choke finish.
Men’s bantamweight: Payton Talbott vs. Felipe Lima
Result: Talbott defeats Lima by unanimous decision
Grade: B-
In a vacuum, this fight was solid but not necessary viewing. For Talbott, it demonstrated his improvements in grappling since his last fight, a loss to Raoni Barcelos in January. Talbott is still growing as a fighter, but it was impressive to see how he has evolved in a few short months. The fight was more of a measuring stick than something you need to go out of your way to watch.
Welterweight: Niko Price vs. Jacobe Smith
Result: Smith defeats Price by second-round submission
Grade: B-
Welcome to the UFC, Jacobe Smith. Price had nothing for Smith, who plowed through him and controlled the action with a takedown in the first round. Aware that Price was vulnerable, Smith took him down again in Round 2 and finished the job with a rear-naked choke. Easy work and a bright future for Smith.
Lightweight: Beneil Dariush vs. Renato Moicano
Result: Dariush defeats Moicano by unanimous decision
Grade: C
If you look up the definition of “workmanlike,” a picture of Beneil Dariush will likely greet you. This performance was as workmanlike as it gets for Dariush, who survived an early knockdown to grapple his way to a unanimous decision. Nothing flashy here. Dariush got it done again, but you likely won’t be impressed by the fight itself.
Women’s flyweight: Viviane Araujo vs. Tracy Cortez
Result: Cortes defeats Araujo by unanimous decision
Grade: C
Cortez had arguably her most complete performance in the Octagon. She did nearly everything right, starting with a grappling-heavy first round to prevent Araujo from opening up her offense in the second and third rounds. Cortez was dominant and punctuated the fight by bullying Araujo with ground and pound in the final round. However, the lack of action from Araujo in the second half of the fight didn’t make this a must-see fight. Instead, it may be remembered as the night Cortez turned the corner and became a true title contender.
Heavyweight: Jhonata Diniz vs. Alvin Hines
Result: Diniz defeats Hines by unanimous decision
Grade: C
This wasn’t your typical lumbering heavyweight affair in which two giants are completely exhausted and bore fans to sleep. Diniz was sharp with his striking and kept a solid pace, while Hines showcased exceptional resolve as he refused to stop coming forward. It wasn’t necessarily competitive, as Diniz used Hines as a punching bag for most of the fight, but this was a solid heavyweight scrap.
UFC 317 fight card grade: A
With a fight of the year frontrunner and multiple violent finishes, UFC 317 easily takes the spot of the year’s best fight card. There was drama (Van-Royval), scares (Rodrigues-Hermansson), jaw-dropping finishes (Topuria-Oliveira) and dominance (Pantoja-Kara-France). Most importantly, there was not an outright bad fight at UFC 317. It’s been a relatively weak year for PPV events, and some scoffed at the capper to International Fight Week, but UFC 317 delivered as a can’t-miss show. Every fight fan should watch.
