Another numbered card in the books and after being billed as one of the most excited UFC cards of all time and boy, did it deliver!
Ilia Topuria vs Charles Oliveira
Ilia Topuria… wow. He called it. Round one, just like he called it. This man is simply incredible. He is now a two-division champion and
A left hook that followed a right hook that already put Charles Oliveira to sleep finished the fight.
That is the first time we’ve seen Charles Oliveira knocked out like that and it’s another scalp for “El Matador” this time in 2:27.
Oliveira tested the grappling of Topuria early and he calmly escaped a leg lock that most fighters would’ve been caught in. Once Marc Goddard stood the fighters up. It was over in an instant.
We’ve not seen confidence and delivery on said confidence since Conor McGregor and it leaves you to wonder who can stop this man.
It seems like Paddy Pimblett will be next for Ilia, they faced off in the octagon after the fight and how can you doubt him after another knockout over a UFC legend. Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira, out cold. This is the future and the future is now.
Alexandre Pantoja (c) vs Kai Kara-France
AND STILL! Alexandre Pantoja does it again. Another submission victory for the Brazilian and this one seemed as simple as it ever.
From the opening seconds, it was advantage Pantoja, who lured Kara-France into a false sense of security by coming out swinging which instinctively caused the Kiwi to swing back, this opened up the takedown where Pantoja dominated for 4 minutes and 40 seconds of round one.
Round two was better for Kara-France but Pantoja still had the round, controlling the striking with the fear of the takedown being on the Kiwi’s mind.
Round three marked the end. An easy takedown lead to Pantoja taking the back and catching Kara-France with a rear naked choke causing the tap.
The champ has just passed Demetrious Johnson and Deiveson Figueiredo in Flyweight finishes with eight and it really doesn’t look like that’ll stop anytime soon.
Pantoja seems unstoppable right now. He is currently lapping the flyweight division and doing it in style.
Brandon Royval vs Joshua Van
WHAT A FIGHT! The flyweights put on a show over three rounds and I think the world is wondering can we get that again?
Joshua Van, a month removed from his amazing knockout over Bruno Silva where he went three rounds has just beaten the number one ranked Flyweight on the planet in a war where accuracy beat volume.
The plan from Royval was simple, loads of pressure, touch him with jabs and low kicks. Once the plan was figured out by Van, who began countering with perfectly timed strikes, it became a war with both men swinging for the fences in each and every round.
Royval looked a step behind Van throughout the fight, especially with Van landing most of the power shots but it was still very close nonetheless, and with two judges having their scorecards equal heading into the third a big third round performance was needed to win.
This is where the 23-year-old showed his will and courage. He found a knockdown in the last 15 seconds which potentially secured the win and a title shot against Alexandre Pantoja.
That fight will be edged in history. As one of the best, if not the best, flyweight fight of all time.
Beneil Dariush vs Renato Moicano
In the battle of the two old-timers, Beneil Dariush came out on top in a dominant performance over Renato Moicano.
Despite being dropped in the first round with a straight right hand, Dariush comfortably controlled the fight outside of the split second moment.
The leg kicks were a massive success in Dariush’s game early on, hitting Moicano with multiple inside leg kicks in the first three minutes, taking all of the explosive power from Moicano.
This opened up room for the grappling where Dariush was clearly superior and was able to gather enough control time to win 29-28 on all scorecards.
Dariush still wants to fight so a potential rematch with Mateusz Gamrot could be on the cards soon.
Payton Talbott vs Felipe Lima
Payton Talbott returned to the win column after ending the 14-fight win streak of Felipe Lima. After a shock loss in January to Raoni Barcelos due to inadequate grappling, it raised questions of if Talbott was just another hype train striker who lacked the grappling ability to compete at the very top of the Bantamweight division. The questions were answered and the 26-year-old proved his doubters wrong against Lima.
After showing great grappling improvement in all three rounds Talbott was able to outlast the Brazilian over three rounds in an exciting fight that saw Talbott grow with confidence as the fight progressed.
Despite Lima finding success on the feet, catching Talbott on multiple occasions with straights and long hooks, he insisted on shooting for takedowns which were, for the most part, stuffed by the American.
Will be interesting to see what is next for both men. Talbott may have one more fight outside the rankings before he gets his shot at someone in the top 15.
👀 Notable Prelim Moments
Gregory Rodrigues vs Jack Hermansson
Gregory “Robocop” Rodrigues returned to win column in convincing fashion after knocking out Jack Hermansson in round one. The Brazilian feinted a right hook to land a left hook that put the Swede grappler to sleep and followed with a hammer fist that some deemed unnecessary after seeing his opponent was clearly incapacitated.
Jose Delgado vs Hyder Amil
It only took 26 seconds for Jose Delgado to win his second UFC fight. The 27-year-old looks like he could be a future star. A clinch knee followed a barrage of strikes which sealed the deal. Could we have a new star at Featherweight?
Terrance McKinney vs Viacheslav Borshchev
Terrance McKinney has continued his impressive 2025 by scoring his second first round finish of the year. This time by submission, catching the Russian with a mounted guillotine after attempting an anaconda choke.
Conclusion
Overall, a great International Fight Week. From top to bottom this card delivered. It’s been a tough year for the UFC, but tonight the sport showed us why it’s still the most exciting in the world.
TheWrestlingFallacy 
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