Athletes
Fighters on the Rise | UFC 317: Topuria vs Oliveira
Shining A Spotlight On Three Ascending Talents Set To Compete On Saturday Night In Las Vegas
The pay-per-view event that wraps up International Fight Week each year has historically been a massive event headlined by some of the biggest, most anticipated bouts in UFC history… and occasionally some of the most unexpected late changes, too.
While there are always championship bouts and superstar names atop the marquee, the annual summer spectacular also represents a huge opportunity for members of the ascending set to step onto the biggest stage in the sport when the spotlight is brightest and introduce themselves to a wider audience.
Four years ago, current bantamweight champ Merab Dvalishvili established himself as a contender in a back-and-forth slobberknocker with Marlon Moraes. The following year, Alex Pereira punched his ticket to a championship opportunity, while middleweight ruler Dricus Du Plessis earned his biggest win to date by out-hustling Brad Tavares, elevating his standing in the division even further in 2023 by taking out Robert Whittaker.
Last year, Vinicius Oliveira, Gillian Robertson, and Jean Silva all added to their winning streaks while further establishing themselves as persons of interest in their respective divisions, distinctions that have only continued to grow since then.
Saturday's Full Fight Card Preview
There are a host of skilled up-and-comers poised to make the walk this weekend in hopes of turning UFC 317 into their personal launching pad, with the three individuals highlighted below feeling like they have the greatest opportunity to do just that on Saturday.
Joshua Van
Van made his promotional debut two years ago, stepping in on short notice to earn a split decision win over Zhalgas Zhumagulov in Jacksonville, Florida. Since then, the talented flyweight has posted six wins and one loss, garnering four of those victories over the last 10 months to advance his record to 14-2 and climb to No. 10 in the rankings.
This weekend, Van again steps up on short notice, filling in for Manel Kape in a crucial clash with top contender Brandon Royval that many are viewing as a title eliminator.
Joshua Van Starts 2024 Out With A TKO Win | UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs Walker 2
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Joshua Van Starts 2024 Out With A TKO Win | UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs Walker 2
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For the record: Van is 23 years old and has been fighting professionally for less than four years, having made his debut in October 2021.
What the native of Myanmar has done in such a short period of time is astounding, especially given that he, by his own admission, had never really wrestled much prior to ascending to the UFC. His hands have always been his calling card and remain so to this day, but they’re far from the only things Van brings to the table, as he’s clearly an exceptional athlete and quick study, as his wrestling, particularly defensively, has noticeably improved by leaps and bounds during the course of his two years in the UFC.
Coach Conversation | Ilia Topuria vs Charles Oliveira
Just a few weeks ago, Van blew through Brazilian veteran Bruno Silva to register his fourth straight win and first stoppage victory since the start of last year, punishing Silva with his sharp hands. When Kape suffered a foot injury that forced him out of his matchup with Royval, the promising 23-year-old was quick to raise his hand and accept the challenge of facing the perennial contender.
Royval fought for the flyweight title at the end of 2023, landing on the wrong side of a lopsided result against incumbent Alexandre Pantoja, who defends his title against Kai Kara-France in this weekend’s co-main event. Since then, the 32-year-old Colorado-based fighter has posted consecutive split decision wins over Brandon Moreno and Tatsuro Taira to further cement his standing as the No. 1 contender.
Getting by Royval is a tall order — he’s only lost to Moreno and Pantoja (twice) since arriving in the UFC and has a massive edge in experience, particularly against top-end opposition — but Van has continually risen to the occasion and clearly learned from his loss to Charles Johnson last summer in Denver.
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If he’s able to pick up a second win in June and push his winning streak to five, we could see the always-active emerging star slow down for the first time in his career, but only because he’ll be in line for a championship opportunity.
Hyder Amil
Hyder Amil is appointment viewing.
Unbeaten in 11 pro fights, including each of his first three trips into the Octagon, the 35-year-old Scrap Pack representative only knows one way to operate, and that’s moving forward at full throttle. He earned his spot on the roster by winning a battle of attrition on Season 7 of Dana White’s Contender Series, then turned in a pair of barnburners in his rookie year, winning a seven-minute tussle with Fernie Garcia in February before stopping JeongYeong Lee in one of the most electric 65-second fights you’re ever going to see.
Amil kicked off his sophomore campaign this year with a split decision win over talented Frenchman William Gomis, and returns this weekend in a showdown with MMA Lab representative Jose Miguel Delgado that has “steal the show” potential on Saturday.
While he can be measured and fundamentally sound, Amil is at his best when he’s hunting and chucking, and I mean that in the best way possible. Some fighters thrive in creating chaos, and he’s one of them, which you can see by comparing and contrasting his first two fights with his more competitive, more technical battle with Gomis, who wouldn’t engage on his chaotic terms.
This weekend’s pairing with Delgado is more likely to be a brawl than a technical affair, as the 27-year-old Contender Series grad (Class of ’24) is 9-1 with a 100 percent finishing rate that includes six first-round stoppages. Last time out, he bombed on Connor Matthews to win his promotional debut and extend his winning streak to six.
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Because of his age, there is a little bit less time for Amil to slowly climb the divisional ladder, but if he continues turning in thrilling performances and posting victories, he should get a “fast pass” for the featherweight division and elevated into some bigger matchups.
Felipe Lima
Lima landed at No. 5 on the year-end list of top newcomers after earning a pair of victories in his freshman year in the UFC.
“Jungle Boy” opened his campaign by “pulling a Muhammad Naimov” against Muhammad Naimov, turning up on short notice, up a division, and finishing the grinder from Tajikistan much in the same way Naimov did to Jamie Mullarkey in his debut. Six months later, Lima got the better of Miles Johns in a second outing at featherweight, outworking the Marathon MMA man over three rounds to advance to 14-1 overall.
His success shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, as Lima is unbeaten since losing his professional debut back in 2015 and claimed the OKTAGON MMA bantamweight title from Jonas Mågård in the summer prior to his UFC call-up; Mågård bounced back with consecutive wins over Jack Cartwright and Josh Hill before dropping a split decision to Igor Severino at the end of the year, and OKTAGON is amongst the best promotions in the sport.
Add in that he trains under the great Andreas Michael at the Allstars Training Center in Stockholm, and you have a quality recipe for having continued success at this level.
UFC 317 COUNTDOWN: Topuria vs Oliveira | Pantjoa vs Kara-France | Full Episode
Saturday night, Lima faces off with Payton Talbott in his return to bantamweight, meeting the highly regarded prospect as he returns to action for the first time since losing to Raoni Barcelos at the start of the year. Despite the defeat, the Reno native is still 9-1 overall and brimming with talent, so the matchup remains a quality test on both sides and a great opportunity to see where the Brazilian up-and-comer stands in the bantamweight division.
While the 135-pound ranks are never in short supply when it comes to talent, adding Lima to the collection of athletes making up the Second 15 would create another set of appetizing matchmaking options heading into the back half of the calendar. He’s looked extremely sharp through his first two outings, and is only now returning to his natural weight class, so an even greater performance is not out of the question.
And if it comes, there will be plenty more people calling Lima a fighter on the rise heading into his next outing.
UFC 317: Topuria vs Oliveira took place live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 28, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!