UFC 317 Preview And Predictions

UFC 317 Preview And Predictions

UFC International Fight Week is upon us. The promotion stacked UFC 317 in honor of the week that celebrates MMA. The card features two tremendous title fights in red-hot divisions. Plus, the remainder of the main card is rounded out with important fights that should be fan-friendly scraps.

Join Vendetta Sports Media as we preview and predict the UFC 317 main card. You can find out yearly prediction records below.

James: 57-49-1

Anthony: 62-44-1

Jerry: 39-36-1

Payton Talbott vs. Felipe Lima- Bantamweight Bout 

James: The UFC 317 main card opens with a bantamweight bout between Payton Talbott and Felipe Lima. This fight pits two young prospects against one another. Talbott, 26, is 9-1 in professional MMA and holds a 3-1 UFC record. He originally gained hype as a prospect with an impressive performance on Dana White’s Contender Series. He has lost some of his steam after losing to Raoni Barcelos in his most recent fight. That said, an impressive win to kick off the international fight week main card is the type of performance that helps him regain his momentum. Lima, 27, has a 14-1 career record with a 2-0 UFC record. He has not garnered the same level of hype as Talbott, but he has certainly shown quality skills that make him a prospect to keep an eye on. 

Talbott is a massive bantamweight. At five-foot-ten, he holds a 70-inch reach. This gives him the potential to be a tremendous distance striker. At his peak, that is his best skill. He can be a slow starter, but when he begins to find the flow state, he beats opponents up with straight punches and kicks to the body. On the interior, he is still a dangerous striker. He is a competent boxer with great knees. This is all present while fighting with a calm demeanor. This ensures his cardio will last three rounds. The biggest issue with Talbott is that he is very raw in the grappling realm. In multiple fights, he has been taken down and put in poor positions. That is the reason he suffered his first career loss to Barcelos. Thankfully, his physicality and toughness help him survive when put in these grappling positions. Still, it forces him to lose moments and rounds. 

Lima is an athletic fighter with quality skills. On the feet, he has quick hands and finds success on the interior. His best weapon are his two-piece combinations that feature one shot to the head and one to the body. At minimum, one of those two punches will land and deal impactful damage. Those are not his only striking weapons, however. His straight punches are quality, and he takes risks to land massive shots. Lastly, he will switch stances to give opponents different looks. His striking skills are backed by quality grappling. I would not consider him elite in that realm, but he is good and athletic. Lima has solid takedowns, but he is at his best once grappling exchanges begin. In most cases, he works to a position where he can get control and throw strikes. In turn, this often opens doors for submissions. The only problem with his grappling is that he can get overaggressive and lose strong positions. 

The UFC 317 main card opener previews as a great fight. The stakes will be high as both fighters work to prove they are premier bantamweight prospects. I could see both fighters having success. Talbott’s striking prowess guarantees he will have big moments. Although, Lima should be able to land takedowns and get to strong positions. The determining factor will be the frequency Lima loses position or Talbott creates a stand-up. I would rather side with Lima limiting those moments and winning rounds with grappling success. I will take Lima by decisions.

Anthony: Lima via decision

Jerry: Lima via decision

Payton Talbott Can Be A Future UFC Champion

No. 9 Beniel Dariush vs. No. 11 Renato Moicano- Lightweight Bout 

James: At UFC 317, Beniel Dariush and Renato Moicano will finally square off. This fight was originally supposed to take place at UFC 311, but the UFC called on Moicano to fight for the title when Arman Tsarukyan pulled out of his championship fight against Islam Makhachev. Moicano lost that bout and was immediately rebooked against Dariush. Moicano was on an impressive four-fight win streak before losing to Makhachev. He was climbing the division’s ranks and earned a step up in competition. Now, he gets that same step and has a chance to regain his momentum. Dariush is looking to get back in the win column after suffering consecutive first-round knockout losses to Arman Tsarukyan and Charles Oliveira. That string of losses broke an eight-fight winning streak. 

Dariush is an impressive grappler with a good mix of wrestling and BJJ skills. This allows him to compete in scrambles and often win those exchanges. As a result, it makes it nearly impossible to take him down and hold him down. It is more common that he finds success with offensive wrestling. As a striker, Darisuh is slow with suspect defense and durability concerns. Although, he does have offensive firepower. He is a southpaw with powerful hands and good kicks. This helps him have success on his feet. 

Moicano is a strong offensive grappler with an intelligent approach to offensive grappling in MMA. His routine chain of events involves getting a body lock takedown, landing in half guard, passing to mount, throwing strikes until his opponent gives up their back, and locking up the body triangle. This gives him a path to beat up his opponent with strikes or lock up a submission. If he is forced to strike with opponents, he has sharp straight punches, but he can take big strikes in return. 

This UFC 317 matchup previews as a violent fight. I doubt we will see much grappling despite both fighters’ talent on the ground. I have a hard time imagining either fighter working to dominant positions or getting control. That makes this a striking matchup between two fighters with underrated offense and suspect defense. That should result in one of these fighters landing a knockout shot. It could be either fighter, but I prefer to side with Moicano being the one to land the shot because of his speed and Dariush’s potentially declining durability. I will take Moicano by second-round knockout.

Anthony: Dariush via decision

Jerry: Moicano via KO/TKO

UFC 317 Best Bets

No. 1 Brandon Royval vs. No. 12 Joshua Van- Flyweight Bout 

James: The UFC 317 main card features a flyweight bout between Brandon Royval and Joshua Van. Van took this fight on short notice after Manel Kape was forced out of the fight with an injury. This was a ‘BMF’ move from Van. The rising prospect took this fight immediately after picking up a knockout win over Bruno Silva. Now, he finds himself in the biggest fight of his UFC tenure. At 23 years old, Van has impressed with a 7-1 UFC run. If he can beat Royval, he will find himself in a title fight. Meanwhile, Royval, who is 7-3 in the UFC, has had tremendous success in the promotion. The biggest issue in his UFC career has been Alexandre Pantoja. The current champion has beaten him twice. The only other loss in his tenure was due to injury. Since his most recent loss to the champion, he has won consecutive bouts to work back into the title picture. 

Royval is currently at a tremendous spot in his career development. At the start of his career, he would create wild scraps filled with chaotic moments. In those types of fights, he had a lot of success. This was mainly because he had the cardio and durability to hold up while also being the fighter to land massive shots. Plus, he has serious submission skills that he could pull out of his back pocket. In recent fights, he has adjusted his style to reach a higher level. Royval has begun to use his cardio to overwhelm his opponents with more intelligent offense. This includes his long punches and kicks. Plus, he throws the strikes in combinations. Additionally, he has spent less time chasing submissions off his back and uses his grappling to get back to the feet. 

Van is a ridiculous boxer. The key to his game is his combination of forward pressure, power, cardio, and body. This all works to help him smoke opponents over three rounds. Van is good at getting inside and getting into boxing range despite being small for the weight class. This is where he can unleash with body shots and begin to land combinations. In the grappling realm, he has slowly been improving his grappling. At this point, he has become a strong defensive grappler and may have some sneaky submission upside. 

This UFC 317 bout previews to be a banger. This was not a bout that was on the radar until it was booked, but it was immediately clear it was one of the best fights that can be made in the sport. At a minimum, this should be the favorite to win the fight of the night. 

This is a tricky fight to predict because both fighters have paths to success. Royval’s length and distance striking should help him land with more volume. This will likely come in the form of straight punches and a variety of kicks. Although, an aggressive volume-heavy approach will provide Van with opportunities to land big body shots while also creating openings upstairs. Ultimately, I favor Royval because I favor his durability and experience. It also helps that he is not taking this fight on short notice. I will take Royval by second-round knockout.

Anthony: Royval via decision

Jerry: Royval via decision

(C) Alexandre Pantoja vs. No. 4 Kai Kara-France- Flyweight Championship Bout 

James: The UFC 317 co-main event features a flyweight championship bout between Alexandre Pantoja and Kai-Kara-France. Pantoja is in the midst of a sensational title run that currently sits at three defenses. Additionally, he has run before ever reaching the title. At this point, he has a tremendous resume with wins over the best flyweights of this era. Kara-France is looking to break through and touch gold for the first time in his UFC career. In his promotional tenure, he sits at 8-4. Those losses have come against the best fighters in the division. The exception is his loss to Amir Albazi, but he deserved to win that fight and was robbed by the judges. That will be irrelevant if he can dethrone Pantoja. 

Pantoja is one of the most remarkable fighters in the UFC. His style is highly unique. He will sell out for early round success. That gives him a strong chance to finish the fight quickly. That said, he has also managed to win close decisions. This style has been feasible because of his mix of danger and elite grappling. Pantoja’s danger begins on the feet. He loves to pressure opponents with dangerous punches and big kicks. It is not overly technical, but opponents must respect his offense due to his power. This gives him opportunities to land takedowns. This gives him a chance to utilize his world-class BJJ. In terms of MMA BJJ, he has an all-time great back take and rear-naked choke. At the same time, his top control can help him win rounds while recovering. The flaws in Pantoja’s game are his striking defense and cardio. He leaves himself wide open to heavy counters. Thankfully for him, he has an elite chin and can absorb big strikes. Similarly, he has managed to work around his suspect cardio to win five-round fights. 

Kara-France is a combination striker who works to set up big strikes. In exchanges, he will throw long combinations to land one big shot. For example, if he throws a three-piece combination, he is willing to miss the first two if it allows him to land a massive third shot. Plus, he uses a lot of feints to help him set up strikes. If he is throwing single shots, he can look to establish his jab and leg kick. These weapons can help him be an active fighter and deal some damage. Kara-France has minimal offensive grappling skills, but he has shown to be an expert in using the fence to defend takedowns. 

The UFC 317 co-main event is a compelling fight to preview. Pantoja’s game is dominant when all the pieces are clicking; however, a slip in durability or cardio could undermine his performance. That may not happen in this fight, but he is a 35-year-old flyweight. It is hard to imagine that a fall off does not eventually happen. If it does, Kara-France is the perfect fighter to defend takedowns and land massive shots. With that being said, I will not predict that Pantoja regresses until we see great signs of that happening. 

I think Pantoja will manage to have grappling success despite Kara-France’s strong takedown defense. Pantoja’s striking threat should make it easier to get in on deep shots than previous Kara-France opponents. More importantly, Kara-France tends to give up his back to defend a takedown or work back to his feet when taken down. That is not a feasible strategy against Pantoja. If he changes his typical defensive strategy, he will not be as effective. If he does not, Pantoja will take his back, control for minutes at a time, and potentially land the submission. I think that is what ends up happening. I will take Pantoja via third-round submission.

Anthony: Pantoja via decision

Jerry: Kara-France via KO/TKO

Charles Oliveira Film Study

No. 3 Ilia Topuria vs. No. 2 Charles Oliveira- Lightweight Championship Bout 

James: The UFC 317 main event features a lightweight championship bout between Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira. Topuria has a perfect 16-0 professional record with eight UFC victories. The former featherweight champion vacated his title for an opportunity to become the lightweight champion. A victory in this fight would make him one of the few fighters to hold championships in two weight classes. Oliveira, the former lightweight champion, is looking to reclaim the title. Hit title run was one of the most entertaining in the division’s history, but he lost the title to Islam Makhachev. Now, with Makhachev vacating the title to move up to welterweight, he is looking to prove he is the best fighter in the weight class. 

Topuria is the best boxer in MMA. Despite being short, his elite footwork and movement ensure he can close the distance and put himself in a position to throw combinations. In the pocket, he uses his speed, accuracy, and intelligence to land big punches. If he lands punches, he deals fight-altering damage. In addition, his ability to switch targets to attack the body and head allows him to make it even harder for opponents to stay safe in striking exchanges. As a grappler, Topuria has shown the ability to compete in exchanges. He manages to stay out of danger while having his own submission upside. 

Oliveira is a dangerous fighter with finish ability in every position. That is why he holds the UFC record for finishes with 20. The most impressive aspect of Oliveira’s game is his ability to chain his striking, clinch work, and grappling together. Oliveira’s forward pressure naturally creates a ton of exchanges. In those exchanges, he is willing to use his striking tools to trade with opponents. These moments are often chaotic and create moments for Oliveria to land massive shots or get hit. At the same time, his pressure also allows him to get to the clinch. In the clinch, his opponents are often worried about being taken down because they do not want to deal with Oliveira’s BJJ game. In turn, that allows Oliveira to unload with knees and elbows. Those weapons deal damage, let him set up takedowns, or even land more shots on the feet. If the fight gets to the ground, he is one of the best back takers in MMA history, he lands sweeps, and can set up submissions off his back. 

The UFC 317 main event preview favors Topuria. In my opinion, he is the best fighter in the world. Plus, this is a favorable matchup for him. Oliveira’s forward pressure will give him opportunities to throw boxing combinations. Topruia’s grappling should also be good enough to ensure he does not get dominated in that department. Oliveira is dangerous, but he does not hold much of a chance to win this fight outside of a big moment in the early rounds. I expect Topuria to stay safe before eventually landing a powerful shot. I will take Topuria by first-round knockout. 

Anthony: Topuria via KO/TKO

Jerry: Topuria via KO/TKO

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