Right, so UFC 317 is happening in Las Vegas at the end of June, and frankly, who thought it was brilliant to put Ilia Topuria against Charles Oliveira for what appears to be a lightweight title shot? The Georgian featherweight champion moving up a division to face one of Brazil’s most dangerous submission artists – it’s either genius matchmaking or someone’s having a laugh at our expense.

The Main Event That Nobody Saw Coming

Topuria, undefeated at 16-0, has been tearing through the featherweight division like a man possessed. The bloke knocked out Alexander Volkanovski and Josh Emmett in spectacular fashion, earning himself the nickname ‘El Matador’ for good reason. Now he’s eyeing up Charles Oliveira, who’s sitting pretty at 35-10 with more submission victories than most fighters have total wins. It’s like watching a precision striker square off against a human python.

Oliveira, the former lightweight champion, has been through more wars than a history textbook. The Brazilian has faced everyone from Conor McGregor’s generation to the current crop of killers, and he’s still here collecting scalps. His ground game is so dangerous.

The Supporting Cast Isn’t Half Bad Either

Alexandre Pantoja defending his flyweight title against Kai Kara-France is the sort of fight that reminds you why the smaller weight classes are often the most entertaining. Pantoja’s record of 29-5 speaks for itself, whilst Kara-France at 25-11 has the sort of knockout power that can end fights in the blink of an eye – quite literally, given his nickname ‘Don’t Blink’.

Then you’ve got Brandon Royval taking on Joshua Van in what should be a proper scrap between two flyweights who never met a boring fight. Royval’s 17-7 record might not look spectacular on paper, but the man brings violence like it’s going out of fashion.

The Lightweight Division Continues Its Chaos

Beneil Dariush versus Renato Carneiro is the sort of matchup that could have title implications down the line. Dariush has been knocking on the door of a title shot for years, whilst Carneiro – better known as Moicano – has been putting together an impressive run of form that’s hard to ignore.

The undercard is filled with the usual mix of prospects and veterans, including Jack Hermansson trying to stay relevant in the middleweight division against Gregory Rodrigues. Watch this to see a master craftsman face off against someone who learned their trade in back-alley brawls.

Payton Talbott at 9-1 represents the new generation coming through, facing Felipe Lima who’s also largely unproven at this level. These are the sorts of fights that either create stars or send people back to the drawing board – there’s rarely any middle ground in this sport.

What This All Means for the Sport

The fact that we’re seeing champions move between divisions more frequently these days suggests the UFC is finally understanding what fans actually want to see. Gone are the days when fighters would sit on their titles like dragons hoarding gold. Now everyone’s chasing legacy fights and multiple belts, which makes for far better entertainment.

Whether Topuria can handle Oliveira’s ground game remains the biggest question mark hanging over this entire event. The Georgian has shown decent defensive grappling, but facing someone with Oliveira’s submission arsenal is technically possible, but a long shot. What do you reckon – can Topuria’s striking keep him out of trouble against one of the most dangerous grapplers in the sport?