UFC 317 live: Ilia Topuria vs Charles Oliveira UK start time, fight card, updates and results

Had Oliveira failed to make weight, or had he or Topuria suffered a late injury (Topuria was unlikely to miss weight, up at 155lb), the back-up fighter tonight would have been Arman Tsarukyan.

With that in mind, is the Armenian-Russian the next title challenger? He already holds a (narrow) win over Oliveira…

On the topic of UFC ‘curses’, Oliveira has missed weight six times in his UFC career, and here’s why Alexander Volkanovski feared for the Brazilian on the scales yesterday – only for “Do Bronx” to make weight:

Another preview of tonight’s main event, and it all stems from a user’s comment on a Bloody Hellbow article last month…

“Interesting stat: Eddie Alvarez is the last LW [lightweight] champion to lose his title in the Octagon.”

That was back in 2016, when Alvarez was deconstructed by Conor McGregor.

Here’s a look at the unusual, broken lineage of the UFC lightweight title, and why it may not get better any time soon:

So, when Topuria backed Alexander Volkanovski up to the fence at UFC 298, a sickening, ominous feeling must have risen from the pit of many a stomach.

And when the Spanish-Georgian drilled a right hook into the chin of the most dominant 145lb champion in a decade, removing the strength from Volkanovski’s legs, the light from his eyes and the cognition from his mind, what was there to do but bow a head in grudging acceptance? To bow down to the new featherweight king.

Topuria’s second-round debilitation of Volkanovski was his first of a fan favourite and divisional great in 2024. Later in the year, he spoke similarly prophetically of what he would do to Max Holloway, and proceeded to do it.

With all of this in mind, it was natural for fans to fear for another beloved icon when Topuria said this month: “I feel so powerful at 155lb. When I touch Oliveira’s chin, it’ll explode.”

Topuria – 1/4; Oliveira – 3/1

Pantoja – 2/5; Kara-France – 2/1

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The early prelims are now under way!

We’ll give you a round-up of the early-prelim results at 1am BST, when those fights are in the books.

At that time, we’ll also begin our live, round-by-round updates as the regular prelims start.

Subject to change; ‘C’ denotes champion:

Ilia Topuria vs Charles Oliveira (vacant lightweight title)

Alexandre Pantoja (C) vs Kai Kara-France (flyweight title)

Beneil Dariush vs Renato Moicano (lightweight)

Brandon Royval vs Joshua Van (flyweight)

Payton Talbott vs Felipe Lima (bantamweight)

Jack Hermansson vs Gregory Rodrigues (middleweight)

Hyder Amil vs Jose Miguel Delgado (featherweight)

Viviane Araujo vs Tracy Cortez (women’s strawweight)

Terrance McKinney vs Viacheslav Borshchev (lightweight)

Sedrique Dumas vs Jackson McVey (middleweight)

Jhonata Diniz vs Alvin Hines (heavyweight)

Niko Price vs Jacobe Smith (welterweight)

The card will air live on TNT Sports in the UK, with the broadcaster’s app and website also streaming the fights. Discovery+ will also air the action in the UK. In the US, ESPN+ will stream the event live, as will the UFC’s Fight Pass.

UFC 317 will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas tonight.

The early prelims are scheduled to begin at 11pm BST (3pm PT / 5pm CT / 6pm ET), with the regular prelims following at 1am BST on Sunday (5pm PT / 7pm CT / 8pm ET on Saturday).

The main card is then due at 3am BST on Sunday (7pm PT / 9pm CT / 10pm ET on Saturday).

And in tonight’s co-main event in Las Vegas, Alexandre Pantoja defends his flyweight title against Kai Kara-France, the New Zealander whom he beat on The Ultimate Fighter in 2016. Will Pantoja’s impressive title run continue, or can the Kiwi knockout artist find the Brazilian’s chin?

Follow live updates from the UFC 317 main card and prelims, right here.