UFC 317 takeaways: New challengers welcome!

UFC 317 established a caller champion, caller rubric contenders and provided fans with fight-of-the-year-worthy action.

In the main event, erstwhile featherweight champion Ilia Topuria claimed a caller throne, beating erstwhile lightweight titleholder Charles Oliveira by first-round knockout for the 155-pound belt. After the win, Topuria was face-to-face with imaginable adjacent challenger Paddy Pimblett.

And Alexandre Pantoja continued his ascendant men's flyweight rubric tally with a submission triumph implicit Kai Kara-France successful the co-main event. He was met by Joshua Van successful the Octagon aft the victory. Van had conscionable pulled disconnected an awesome flyweight triumph of his ain successful the combat before, beating Brandon Royval successful a combat of the twelvemonth frontrunner, to found himself arsenic the apical contender astatine 125 pounds.

Brett Okamoto and Jeff Wagenheim connection their apical takeaways from the biggest fights astatine UFC 317.

Ilia Topuria is different

I wanted to beryllium cautious astir doubting Oliveira. We've seen it excessively galore times -- Oliveira is the underdog but pulls disconnected immoderate magic successful a lightweight rubric fight.

But the infinitesimal I saw Topuria travel retired of the passageway connected Saturday, I knew that was a antheral who wasn't going to lose. I've had the privilege of watching the champion fighters successful UFC past up adjacent -- and speaking to them afterward -- and I cognize what the champion of the champion looks and feels like. Topuria is different. He reminded maine of Conor McGregor erstwhile helium knocked retired Dustin Poirier successful their archetypal combat astatine the MGM Grand Garden successful Las Vegas successful 2014 with what felt similar fractional of Ireland successful the stands. McGregor's aforesaid content -- coupled with the enactment helium was doing successful the gym -- made him unbeatable that night. Topuria was the aforesaid astatine UFC 317.

The combat crippled is simply a satellite of hyperbole and superlatives, and sometimes it tin get carried away. But I tin accidental with afloat confidence, what we are witnessing with Topuria is special. He didn't conscionable sound retired Oliveira connected Saturday. He near Oliveira staring into abstraction successful the halfway of the Octagon with a changeable helium said helium vividly pictured throwing beforehand. He hosted a solemnisation enactment for his triumph successful Las Vegas -- connected Friday ... the time earlier the fight. Even the astir confident, cockiest fighters of each clip don't situation things similar that. Topuria is the astir absorbing happening going connected successful MMA close now. --Okamoto

Alexandre Pantoja volition get a caller challenger, thankfully

Pantoja has a agelong mode to spell earlier his flyweight bequest tin basal up to Demetrious Johnson, who acceptable the UFC grounds with 11 consecutive rubric defenses. But Pantoja is 2nd to nary erstwhile it comes to existent loop holders. His 4 rubric defenses are much than immoderate different UFC champion.

Beyond that, Pantoja and his work-in-progress bequest got a acquisition connected Saturday night, and it was not successful his rubric combat against Kai Kara-France. The champion had defeated Kara-France before, and adjacent though that was 9 years agone and it was lone an accumulation connected "The Ultimate Fighter," the play starring up to the rematch was minimal.

It was nary astonishment that Pantoja handled business. Within 30 seconds of the combat starting, helium had backmost power connected the canvas and was sportfishing for a submission. Kara-France survived the circular and kept the combat lasting successful Round 2. But successful the 3rd round, Pantoja erstwhile again seized backmost power early, and this clip helium secured the finish. Easy work.

Pantoja astir benefited successful the combat close earlier his, erstwhile Joshua Van bushed Brandon Royval successful the champion combat of the nighttime and perchance the year. The UFC declared that the victor would get the adjacent changeable astatine the flyweight champ, and Van winning allowed Pantoja to debar having to combat different rematch. He's beaten Royval doubly already, and nary 1 wants to spot that matchup again.

But Van? The 23-year-old got a immense popular from the assemblage aft his victory, and erstwhile helium was brought into the cage to look disconnected with Pantoja. That's a combat with important appeal, which is what the champion needs successful a part helium is dominating, and truthful overmuch the amended if that challenger is an emerging star. Every champ needs a rival who tin propulsion him and rise his nationalist profile, and Van looks similar that guy. --Wagenheim

The Joshua Van, Max Holloway examination is evident but good

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Joshua Van, Brandon Royval laic it each retired successful epic finish

Joshua Van and Brandon Royval unleash fury connected each different to extremity their bout, with Van taking the triumph by unanimous decision.

Everything astir Van says instrumentality favorite. First is the activity. When Holloway joined the UFC successful 2012, helium fought 4 times successful 11 months. Van is chopped from the aforesaid cloth. Saturday was his 5th combat successful the past 9 months. He carries himself successful a akin manner to Holloway. There's a calm assurance astir him that's not large oregon boisterous, conscionable dangerous. He's precise composed. The up-and-comer conscionable picked up his eighth UFC triumph and bushed the apical flyweight contender connected 3 weeks' notice. Holloway had 11 wins by the clip helium turned 24.

There's inactive a batch to benignant out, of course, but it's a bully stake that Van volition marque plentifulness of "BMF" worthy actions and combat each flyweight of his epoch implicit the adjacent decade. He volition beryllium successful plentifulness of pugnacious fights, arsenic helium was connected Saturday, and fans volition emotion him for it. There volition beryllium plentifulness of memorable moments, arsenic helium had with the precocious knockdown of Royval. He'll vie for a UFC title, and whether helium wins oregon not, he'll permission his people connected the sport. -- Okamoto