UFC 317 will feature two world title bouts on June 28 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas during the UFC’s annual International Fight Week.
A lightweight title fight between former featherweight titleholder Ilia Topuria and former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira headlines the fight card for the vacant title.
In the co-main event, flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja will look to defend the 125-pound championship a fourth time against No. 4 ranked Kai Kara-France. The fight promotion made the announcement on Tuesday.
Pantoja (29-5) will enter the championship bout riding a seven-fight winning streak. He last fought at UFC 310 in December, defeating Kai Asakura via submission in the second round. He already holds wins over the top two ranked contenders: Brandon Royval and Brandon Moreno.
Kara-France (25-11, 1 NC), a former interim title challenger, will make the walk to the octagon coming off a knockout win over Steve Erceg at UFC 305 last August. The win snapped a two-fight losing streak for the New Zealander.
The two have actually fought before. They met in an exhibition match in the quarterfinals of The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions in 2016. Pantoja defeated Kara-France via unanimous decision in the two-round bout. Nine years later, the two will run it back for the title.
