UFC 317 Picks for Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira and Other Fights on June 28

If you’re after UFC 317 picks, you’re at the right place. We have some bets for the next PPV event that we’re almost certain will win. We also expect to see some betting upsets on June 28, with guys with plus-money UFC 317 odds stunning their opponents. So, who are those guys? Keep reading this preview to find out!

Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira – Don’t Underestimate “Do Bronxs”

Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira headlines UFC 317 on June 28 in Vegas, and the odds say “El Matador” takes the crown. Topuria is 16-0, the guy who KO’d Volkanovski and Holloway — two legends who had never been finished like that before.

But some of his critics argue that that happened in the 145lb division and that he’s about to learn a hard lesson in his first match of the Lightweight Division. Still, one mustn’t forget that he’s no one-trick pony.

While he’s an incredible striker who throws nearly 5 significant strikes per minute, he’s also an elite grappler. The evidence of this is that he’s got 8 submission wins in his portfolio and lands 2+ takedowns per fight.

But Oliveira is even better in that respect. He’s a third-degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt who’s got the fists made of steel. He’s the UFC’s all-time finish leader with 31 stoppages.

So, why do UFC 317 odds favor his opponent? Because “Do Bronxs” is now 36 and coming off losses to Makhachev and Tsarukyan. But that just fuels his motivation for the June 28 fight. He needs to win this to stay relevant – our prediction is that he will pull it off.

Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Kara-France: “The Cannibal” Pushing for the Flyweight GOAT Status

Alexandre Pantoja defends his Flyweight title for the fourth time this coming Saturday. He’s doing it against Kai Kara-France in UFC 317’s co-main event on June 28 in Las Vegas.

The champ’s on a seven-fight win streak, with finishes over Royval, Moreno, and Asakura. He’s got no losses by stoppage and has plenty of weapons in his arsenal.

This guy averages nearly 3 takedowns per 15 minutes and lands 4.4 strikes per minute, which are elite numbers. In fact, if it weren’t for Demetrious Johnson, he’d be the GOAT of this division.

If he wants to take away that status from “Mighty Mouse,” he needs to keep on winning. But doing it at UFC 317 won’t be easy. Kara-France has real power for 125, with 12 knockouts and 4.56 significant strikes per minute.

But when the fight hits the mat, he’s in trouble. Even with an 88% takedown defense, he’s struggled against elite grapplers – and Pantoja is exactly that.

UFC 317 Picks for Remaining Fights

• Brandon Royval (+105) vs. Joshua Van (-125) – Joshua Van
• Beneil Dariush (-104) vs. Renato Moicano (-116) – Renato Moicano
• Payton Talbott (+170) vs. Felipe Lima (-200) – Felipe Lima
• Jack Hermansson (+170) vs. Gregory Rodrigues (-200) – Gregory Rodrigues
• Hyder Amil (+145) vs. Jose Delgado (-145) – Jose Delgado
• Sedriques Dumas (+115) vs. Jackson McVey (-135) – Jackson McVey
• Jhonata Diniz (-300) vs. Alvin Hines (+250) – Jhonata Diniz
• Niko Price (+1000) vs. Jacobe Smith (-2000) – Jacobe Smith

Last weekend in Azerbaijan, we saw 10 of the 12 UFC fights go the distance. Our prediction is that it’s going to be a bit different this time, but we do think there’ll be several fights going to decision.

One such fight is Viviane Araújo vs. Tracy Cortez. We’re certain this fight will last the full 15 minutes. The reason is that 10 of Tracy’s 13 pro MMA fights ended this way. This includes all of her last 8 fights, even last year’s loss to Rose Namajunas in which she took a real beating.

One UFC 317 fight that we think will see a finish is Terrance McKinney vs. Slava Borshchev. The reason? Each of McKinney’s pro MMA fights – either wins or losses – ended before the final bell.

For those two fights, we’d go with props rather than moneyline picks because we think a surprise may happen easily. For all the other fights on the card, we’re pretty confident betting favorites will get the job done. Therefore, most of our UFC 317 picks are for guys with minus-money odds.