The UFC didn’t have a great big round number to celebrate in 2025, or a monumental undertaking like its Sphere debut.
But its event calendar this year was bereft with shows with multiple title fights, as well as cards that creeped up on the UFC’s record books thanks to copious amounts of finishes.
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But one show rose above the pack. UFC 317 is MMA Junkie’s 2025 Event of the Year.
And we’ll say this right from jump street: Had Merab Dvalishvili successfully completed his quest for four title defenses in a year at UFC 323 earlier this month, that event likely would have leapfrogged UFC 317 (June 28, T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas) for the honor. In other words, UFC 317 wasn’t a slam-dunk pick.
It got the nod thanks to history, which was made in the main event when Ilia Topuria knocked out Charles Oliveira in the first round to win the lightweight title. That made him the 11th two-division champion in UFC history. Topuria vacated the featherweight belt to move up for a shot at a second title, predicted he’d win in the first round, then put away a former champion to realize his dream.
In the co-feature, flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja continued to dominate the division when he submitted Kai Kara-France. And right after that, it was thought he’d have a date with Joshua Van, which he did earlier this month and lost thanks to a fluke injury, making Van the new champ.
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But Van’s win over Brandon Royval played a big role in elevating UFC 317 above UFC 323. His unanimous decision with a pair of 29-28 scores and a 30-27 came in a fight widely considered one of the best of 2025 from any promotion.
There was star power elsewhere on the card, too, with a big win for Beneil Dariush over Renato Moicano and a rebound win for bantamweight prospect Payton Talbott. Gregory Rodrigues’ vicious first-round knockout of Jack Hermansson was a $50,000 bonus winner, and there were two other fights on the prelims that had finishes in less than a minute.
But it was the history at the top of the bill that set UFC 317 apart in 2025 – just barely.
Honorable mentions: UFC 323, UFC 314, UFC 316, UFC Paris, UFC Qatar
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 317 named 2025 Event of the Year
