Do you remember the time when we rallied together and pushed Dana White to announce the fights for UFC 317? Well, even though the announcement was a bit delayed and we wanted a different fight, Charles Oliveira vs Ilia Topuria didn’t really disappoint. It simply meant that the lightweight division will be moving forward. And to keep things exciting, both of the fighters have continued to post their advancements on social media. While visuals of Topuria showing off his striking prowess went viral, Oliveira got himself busy with Jiu-Jitsu. Both sides will step into T-Mobile Arena on an arguably equal footing. However, the fighting community seems to have chosen their victor already.
Of course, the duo has already engaged in a bit of trash talk. And that’s the ritual, don’t you agree? On X, the soon-to-be former featherweight champion expressed his confidence over ‘Do Bronx’. He sent forth an apology to his Brazilian opponent with plans to win. On top of that, he subtly took a jibe at Islam Makhachev for running away from him. But Oliveira was unflinched by the trash talk. The former lightweight champion said, “Been in there for 15 years, I’ve seen a lot of these guys say a lot of things. That I give up. That I’m going to lose. That they’re going to knock me out. And then when the time comes they don’t do anything.” Who knows, this might be the reason why the netizens have decided on the victory of UFC 317.
The UFC’s official profile on X dropped the poster for the International Fight Week. Needless to say, the hype around the event went higher as the poster featured two title fights scheduled for UFC 317. The main event will feature the battle between Topuria and Oliveira for the lightweight championship belt. And the co-main event is going to be a fight between Alexandre Pantoja and Kai Kara-France with the flyweight title on the line.
The caption to the tweet read, “One night. Two belts. We’re less than ONE MONTH away from #UFC317!!” With two Brazilians competing for two championship belts, the excitement was truly skyrocketing for the 28th of June. The records that the fighters hold definitely made it difficult to select just one fighter for the win. But just like any other sport, only one can claim the win. And the fans have spoken about it.
One night. Two belts.
We’re less than ONE MONTH away from #UFC317 pic.twitter.com/47G09HRdtj
— UFC (@ufc) May 29, 2025
Soon after UFC shared the poster with the fighting world, the fans took over the comments section to express themselves. Let’s take a look at what they had to say about the matchup and see who they want to win.
Fans decide the outcome of the battle between Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira before UFC 317
Most of the fans rallied behind Oliveira for the big win. The reason? It was all in the professional MMA records of the fighters. Back at UFC 308, Topuria became the first fighter to ever knock Max Holloway out cold. The act even put Dana White in a state of concern regarding the BMF champion. Needless to say, the Spaniard has always been proud of this achievement. However, it was Dustin Poirier who defeated Holloway twice during his prime. And guess who defeated Poirier with a third-round submission… Of course, it was Oliveira. One of the fans weighed in on this and wrote, “Ilia Topuria brags about beating Max Holloway, but Prime Max was beaten by Dustin Poirier. Now he is going to face Charles Oliveira, who smashed Dustin.” However, it’s worth noting that ‘Blessed’ once beat Oliveira in the first round.
Nevertheless, the fighting community stayed true to Oliveira. One of the fans wrote, “Can’t wait to see Oliveira’s return.” Meanwhile, a few others predicted that ‘Do Bronx’ will likely submit ‘El Matador’ at UFC 317. One of the comments read, “Charles via submission (darce).” Another fan added, “Ilia gonna get choked out.” One more fan added to the notion and wrote, “Please Oliveira sleep that fool.”
But the fighting realm didn’t forget about the other Brazilian. It seemed like if fight fans had their druthers, they’d prefer Brazil’s victory. One of the fans commented, “This is gonna be a great night for Brazil.” Another fan claimed, “Brazil will take 2 belts home.” But one thing was certain. IFW is definitely going to entertain us in the best possible way. And the fans knew it. One of them wrote, “Guaranteed show… Good combinations and lots of quality MMA.”
Who do you think will win the battle between Topuria and Oliveira at UFC 317? Do you think ‘El Matador’ can carry himself well as a lightweight contender? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.
The post UFC 317: Vegas’ Bookkeepers Under Fire as MMA World Rally for Underdog Charles Oliveira Against Ilia Topuria appeared first on EssentiallySports.
