UFC 317 loses fan-favorite main card fight

Per reports, UFC 317 has lost a massive middleweight contender fight from the main card.

The Vegas PPV is headlined by two title fights, featuring Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira for the lightweight belt, and Alexandre Pantoja defending his flyweight throne against Kai Kara-France.

Fans were excited for the undercard, which is set to feature a lineup of fan favorites and up-and-coming stars, including Payton Talbott and Jacobe Smith.

UFC Atlanta fighter breaks silence after controversial fight ending

Paulo Costa fighting Sean Stricklan — Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Paulo Costa vs. Roman Kopylov no longer on the UFC 317 PPV

As reported by Bert MMA, and given credence by MMA Fighting's Damon Martin, the main card fight between Paulo Costa and Roman Kopylov is off.

According to Martin, the fight is indeed cancelled and should be rebooked for UFC 318- Dustin Poirier's retirement card opposite Max Holloway.

Thus continues Costa's rocky history of UFC cancellations. 'The Eraser' has had eight cancellations in ten fights dating back to 2017. Costa has been responsible for four of these cancellations.

Hearing that Roman Kopylov vs. Paulo Costa is moving to #UFC318

It was reported earlier today that the fight was off #UFC317 and that's true but just being rescheduled for a later date, from what I'm told
— Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) June 17, 2025

It's entirely possible that the fight has been rebooked for UFC 318 to account for its lacklustre fight lineup. The BMF-headlined PPV is lacking name appeal, and would welcome Costa-Kopylov on the main card.

This doesn't mean the UFC 317 card isn't diminished, with eleven fights scheduled:

Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira; vacant light title
(c) Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Kara-France; fly title
Beneil Dariush vs. Renato Moicano; light
Viviane Araujo vs. Tracy Cortez; fly
Jack Hermansson vs. Gregory Rodrigues; middle
Terrance McKinney vs. Viacheslav Borshchev; light
Hyder Amil vs. Jose Delgado; feather
Brandon Royval vs. Joshua Van; fly
Niko Price vs. Jacobe Smith; welter
Jhonata Diniz vs. Alvin Hines; heavy
Payton Talbott vs. Felipe Lima; bantam

More MMA Knockout News

Stick with MMAKnockout for more FREE coverage of the UFC, MMA, Boxing, WWE, and AEW. Follow MMAKnockout on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.