5 fights to make after UFC 317: Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira

UFC 317 is in the bag, and it was a highly eventful show. In the headliner, we saw a new lightweight champion crowned.

So what's next for the big stars of the event? For some of them, the next fight is clear.

For some of the others, though, the matchmakers may have to do a little more work, but as always, there are some great options on the table.

Here are five fights to make after UFC 317: Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira.

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#5. UFC middleweight bout: Gregory Rodrigues vs. Paulo Costa or Roman Kopylov

One of last night's biggest winners was definitely Gregory Rodrigues. 'Robocop' scored a violent knockout over Jack Hermansson that stands as one of the UFC's best of 2025 thus far.

The win allowed Rodrigues to bounce back from his disappointing loss to Jared Cannonier earlier in the year, and should earn him a shot at a top fifteen-ranked opponent next.

One good option for the Brazilian, then, could be to match him with the winner of the upcoming fight between Paulo Costa and Roman Kopylov.

The two fighters are ranked No.13 and No.15 respectively, and either man would be a good test for Rodrigues, who looked a little quicker than normal against Hermansson.

More to the point, a fight with either Costa or Kopylov would probably produce a pretty epic slugfest, with the possibility of Rodrigues winning a third bonus award in a row.

If 'Robocop' could get past either of these dangerous veterans, then he'd move into the rankings at 185 pounds, and it'd definitely be deserved.

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#4. UFC bantamweight bout: Payton Talbott vs. Adrian Yanez

It was hard not to be impressed by Payton Talbott at UFC 317. Coming off the first loss of his MMA career against Raoni Barcelos in January, Talbott showed marked improvements in his grappling in his win over Felipe Lima.

Given how good Talbott looked last night, it'd be tempting to push him up the ladder and match him with a ranked bantamweight next.

However, given his age and relative lack of experience, a move like that may still be too soon for this prospect.

Therefore, a clash with a fighter who has now fallen out of the rankings in Adrian Yanez might work better.

Yanez was once considered one of the 135 pound division's hottest prospects in his own right, but the dangerous striker has now won just one of his last four bouts.

Given his heavy hands and finishing ability, though, he'd still provide Talbott with a very difficult test. The fight could also produce real fireworks and would likely end in a knockout, making it a worthy one to book.

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#3. UFC lightweight bout: Beneil Dariush vs. Rafael Fiziev

Despite suffering an early knockdown, Beneil Dariush looked solid in his win over Renato Moicano last night.

The win was Dariush's first in the UFC since he beat Mateusz Gamrot in October 2022, and it will absolutely keep him afloat in the lightweight top ten.

However, despite stating that he still has dreams of becoming lightweight champion, the truth is that the Iranian fighter is now a high-level gatekeeper.

A good fight for him next, then, could be against No.10 Rafael Fiziev, who defeated Ignacio Bahamondes earlier this month.

'Ataman' is one of the division's flashiest and most dangerous strikers. However, whether he'd be able to prevent Dariush from working him over on the ground would be debatable.

On the flip side, whether Dariush could survive a Fiziev barrage - especially after suffering two KO losses prior to last night - is a fair question too. Overall, then, this would be a tremendous fight to book all round.

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#2. UFC flyweight title: Alexandre Pantoja vs. Joshua Van

One fight that already appears to have been booked following UFC 317 is Alexandre Pantoja's next flyweight title defense.

Based on what we saw after his comfortable win over Kai Kara-France last night, 'The Cannibal' will face off with Joshua Van next.

For Van to find himself in this position is truly remarkable. Prior to his win over Bruno Gustavo da Silva at the start of this month, 'The Fearless' was not even ranked.

However, his stunning late-notice win over No.1 ranked Brandon Royval last night has allowed him to leapfrog 'Raw Dawg', as well as the likes of Manel Kape and Amir Albazi to the front of the queue.

Can Van really dethrone Pantoja, though? On the face of it, it feels doubtful. 'The Cannibal' is arguably the UFC's most dominant champion now, and he's turned back the challenge of fighters like Kara-France, Kai Asakura and Royval with ease.

As Van proved last night, though, anything can happen in the octagon, and if nothing else, his wild approach should make for a fantastic fight. Hopefully, we get to see this clash before the end of 2025.

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#1. UFC lightweight title: Ilia Topuria vs. Paddy Pimblett

Ilia Topuria once again made history last night. By crushing Charles Oliveira to claim the vacant lightweight title in the headline fight, he became the tenth fighter in UFC history to win titles in two different weight classes.

Right now, 'El Matador' looks unbeatable, with his brutally powerful punches and underrated grappling game making him a nightmare opponent for any fighter.

Who's next for him? The promotion essentially has three options: Arman Tsarukyan, Justin Gaethje or Paddy Pimblett.

Of the three, while Tsarukyan is the most deserving - he's riding a four-fight win streak and beat Oliveira last year - the matchmakers really ought to go with Pimblett.

Firstly, 'The Baddy' looked fantastic in a dominant win over Michael Chandler in April, and he's actually on the longest streak of the three potential challengers, winning nine in a row since 2020.

More importantly, though, his staredown with Topuria last night sent the fans wild, and his brash personality - and existing beef with 'El Matador' means a clash between the two would be a true money fight.

Essentially, Pimblett has become the cash cow he always promised he would be, and the UFC simply have to capitalise on the opportunity they've been handed. Topuria vs. Pimblett should absolutely be the next lightweight title bout.

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Edited by Tejas Rathi