Taking a Look at the UFC’s Stacked Summer Schedule
The UFC is officially poised to take over the summer. After concerns surrounding the lack of quality of recent UFC cards, UFC President Dana White has responded to the criticism in a big way. The UFC’s summer slate of four pay-per-view events, which take place over three months, has everything an MMA fan could want. From an MMA legend looking to shine bright like a diamond one last time before retirement, to a hungry, undefeated phenom seeking to strike gold, there is not much more a fan could ask for. With so much excitement surrounding the UFC amidst Dana White’s announcement of several blockbuster fights, let’s analyze the upcoming slate of events.
UFC 316: Dvalishvili Vs. O’Malley
Admittedly, UFC 316 is most likely the least anticipated event of the summer. The main event, a rematch between UFC Bantamweight Champion Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O’Malley, is a head-scratcher. When the two Bantamweight headliners met in the octagon for the first time, Dvalishvili thoroughly dominated O’Malley en route to capturing the Bantamweight Championship. The controversy surrounding the rematch stems from the fact that ‘Suga’ was awarded an immediate rematch, especially after how the first fight played out. Also on the card, UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Julianna Pena draws the tough task of defending her championship against the dominant Kayla Harrison. Harrison will be looking to live up to the hype placed on her when she arrived in the UFC, while Pena looks to prove that she is the best 135-pounder on the planet.
UFC 317: Topuria Vs. Oliveira
This is the big one. UFC 317, which takes place during International Fight Week, is shaping up to be the UFC’s biggest event of 2025. To put it bluntly, the card is stacked. Costa Vs. Kopylov, Royval Vs. Kape, and Dariush Vs. Moicano is just a handful of the fights that make up the meat of the card. Then there are the two championship fights. UFC Flyweight Champion Alexandre Pantoja looks to continue his reign of terror over the Flyweight Division against first-time challenger Kai Kara-France. A win over Kara-France would earn Pantoja his fourth UFC Flyweight Championship defense. The main event of UFC 317 needs no hype as the fight sells itself. Former UFC Featherweight Champion Ilia Topuria steps into the octagon with former UFC Lightweight Champion Charles Oliveira. Topuria and Oliveira are undoubtedly two of the biggest stars in the UFC today, mostly because of their exciting fighting styles. Pairing fighters with a finish-first mindset, such as Topuria and Oliveira, only guarantees fireworks. Add the recently vacated UFC Lightweight Championship into the mix, and we have a main event for the ages.
UFC 318: Holloway Vs. Poirier
UFC 318 is the last dance for Dustin Poirier. The event, which takes place in ‘The Diamond’s’ home state of Louisiana, will host the conclusion to the trilogy between Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier. Max Holloway’s first opponent in the UFC was Poirier, and in a full-circle moment, Holloway will be Poirier’s last. Poirier holds two wins over the Hawaiian, but there is nothing Holloway wants more than to spoil Poirier’s retirement. Notable fights on the undercard include Marvin Vettori Vs. Brendan Allen, Amanda Ribas Vs Tabatha Ricci, and Ikram Alieskerov Vs. Brunno Ferreira.
UFC 319: Du Plessis Vs. Chimaev
It seems hard to believe that UFC 319 will be Khamzat Chimaev’s first shot at championship gold. Chimaev, who made his UFC debut in 2020, has been billed as a future champion since his debut. The current UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus Du Plessis would certainly disagree. As to where Khamzat Chimaev wins his fights through pure dominance via his freakish strength, Du Plessis has a more gritty approach. The South African Middleweight Champion finds a way to win. Both Middleweight headliners are undefeated in all of their UFC fights. As of this time, there are no other fights announced for UFC 319, but the main event is enough to get any fan excited.
