UFC 317 Expert Picks: Predictions for the Main Card

UFC 317 Expert Picks: Predictions for the Main Card

This article is part of our UFC Picks series.

MMA Expert Picks & Predictions: UFC 317 Pay-Per-View Card

It's International Fight Week, and UFC 317 is headlined with a championship doubleheader. In the main event, former featherweight champion Ilia Topuria attempts to claim the belt at lightweight as a massive favorite against veteran Charles Oliveira.

As a reminder, the following selections are purely picks. If you're looking for betting or fantasy-specific breakdowns of these fights, check out the following articles on RotoWire:

UFC 317 DraftKings Picks
UFC 317 Betting Picks
UFC 317 Fight by Fight Breakdowns
UFC 317 Multi-Site DFS Preview

We also have a MMA DFS Lineup Optimizer to try if you're looking to try out different combinations of fighters or generate multiple lineups, plus UFC 317 odds from every major sportsbook.

MATCHUP

WEIGHT 

CLASS

JONJAKECHRIS
Ilia Topuria (-425) vs.
Charles Oliveira (+330)

Lightweight
Championship

TopuriaTopuriaOliveira
(C) Alexandre Pantoja (-265) vs.
Kai Kara-France (+215)

Flyweight
Championship

PantojaPantojaPantoja
Beneil Dariush (+135) vs.
Renato Moicano (-160)

Lightweight

MoicanoMoicanoMoicano
Brandon Royval (-125) vs.
Joshua Van (+105)

Flyweight

VanVanRoyval
Felipe Lima (-190) vs.
Payton Talbott (+160)

Bantamweight

TalbottTalbottLima
     
UFC 317 RECORD 0-00-00-0
2025 RECORD 16-1217-1112-16
2025 PERCENTAGE .571.607.429
2024 RECORD 45-1941-2339-25
2024 PERCENTAGE .703.641.610
2023 RECORD 42-2544-2335-32
2023 PERCENTAGE .627.657.522
2022 RECORD 34-2740-2125-26
2022 PERCENTAGE .557.656.490
2021 RECORD 35-2842-2137-26
2021 PERCENTAGE .556.667.586
2020 RECORD 36-1834-2028-26
2020 PERCENTAGE .667.630.519
2019 RECORD 39-1935-2332-26
2019 PERCENTAGE .672.603.552
ALL-TIME  342-210350-202 277-221
ALL-TIME PERCENTAGE .620.634.556

 

MATCHUP

WEIGHT 
CLASS

JOE
"SUNTZU"

COLE     DRAKE
Ilia Topuria (-425) vs.
Charles Oliveira (+330)

Lightweight
Championship

TopuriaTopuriaOliveira
(C) Alexandre Pantoja (-265) vs.
Kai Kara-France (+215)

Flyweight
Championship

PantojaPantojaPantoja
Beneil Dariush (+135) vs.
Renato Moicano (-160)

Lightweight

MoicanoDariushMoicano
Brandon Royval (-125) vs.
Joshua Van (+105)

Flyweight

RoyvalRoyvalVan
Felipe Lima (-190) vs.
Payton Talbott (+160)

Lightweight

TalbottLimaTalbott
     
UFC 317 RECORD 0-00-00-0
2025 RECORD 19-918-1019-9
2025 PERCENTAGE .679.643.679
2024 RECORD 40-2440-2443-21
2024 PERCENTAGE .625.625.672
2023 RECORD 41-2644-2336-31
2023 PERCENTAGE .612.657.537
2022 RECORD 38-2339-2239-22
2022 PERCENTAGE .623.639.639
2021 RECORD 38-2543-2117-14
2021 PERCENTAGE .603.672.548
2020 RECORD 36-18N/AN/A
2020 PERCENTAGE .667N/AN/A
2019 RECORD 34-24N/AN/A
2019 PERCENTAGE .586N/AN/A
ALL-TIME 283-168181-98154-97
ALL-TIME PERCENTAGE .627.649.614

In search of a new, legal sportsbook? Get in on the action with our best sportsbook promo codes, as well as these selections for the best sports betting sites and sports betting apps.

THE PICKERS

Jon Litterine: RotoWire lead MMA beat writer and scribe for our weekly DrafKings preview. Lead analyst on the RotoWire MMA Podcast. Follow him on Twitter at @JonLitterine.

Jake Letarski: RotoWire.com Operations Manager, plus MMA and NCAA Hoops Senior Editor. Host on the RotoWire MMA Podcast and guest on the RotoWire Fantasy Football Podcast. Follow him on Twitter at @RotoJake.

Chris Olson: Contributor at RotoWire to "Fight IQ, presented by RotoWire," as well as The MMA MashupDFS Baseballa MMA gambling columnist and fight recaps. Follow him on Twitter at @RealChrisOlson.

Joe "SunTszu": Known more commonly by his Twitter handle @SunTszu, Joe is a Hedge Fund Executive by day and high-volume DFS player by night. He is a 2x "Bracket Challenge" & "Gotham qualifier. You can also find him as one of the original contributors of "Fight IQ, presented by RotoWire," a DFS-centric video breakdown. He is also a co-creator of the "Creating Alpha in DFS" podcast.

Cole Shelton: Cole Shelton is a full-time sports writer focusing on MMA. His work has appeared on BJPenn.com, CBC Sports, Sports Betting Dime and Blue Jays Nation. He currently pens the MMA Best Bets column on RotoWire. Follow him on Twitter at @ColeShelton91.

Drake Burden: Drake is a proven DFS winner with multiple four-figure paydays under his belt. He took an interest to writing MMA during the pandemic and is active in various Discords and other social media communities. Follow him on Twitter at @DBurdz.

RotoWire has the latest in UFC betting odds & fighter prop bets for every event, plus compares markets across multiple legal sportsbooks.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jake Letarski
RotoWire Editor for College Basketball and MMA. Frequent podcaster, plus radio and video guest. Follow Jake on Twitter at @RotoJake.
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