UFC 317 Co-Main Event Pantoja Vs. Kara-France Opening Betting Odds

Two UFC title fights headline the upcoming UFC 317 fight card. In the main event, two former champions, Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira, battle it out for the vacant UFC lightweight strap. Meanwhile, in the UFC 317 co-main event, UFC flyweight kingpin Alexandre Pantoja attempts to make his fourth defense of the title he claimed in June 2023 against former interim UFC 125-pound title challenger Kai Kara France.

UFC 317 takes place on June 28 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The ESPN+ streaming pay-per-view card headlines this year’s version of the UFC’s annual International Fight Week.

ForbesUFC 317 Fight Card Date, Time, Location And Ticket PricesBy Trent Reinsmith

UFC 317 Co-Main Event Opening Betting Odds And Line Movement: Alexandre Pantoja Vs. Kai Kara-France

When BetOnline first published the betting line for the Pantoja vs. Kara-France matchup, the champ opened as the -250 betting favorite over the +210 underdog. Today, Pantoja is listed at -260, while Kara-France checks in at +220.

ForbesUFC 317 Main Event Topuria Vs. Oliveira Opening OddsBy Trent Reinsmith

UFC 317 Co-Main Event: Alexandre Pantoja Vs. Kai Kara-France

Alexandre Pantoja (29-5) is on a seven-fight winning streak heading into UFC 317. The 35-year-old Brazilian made his UFC debut in July 2017 with a split-decision win over Eric Shelton. Pantoja’s career had its ups and downs over the next three years, where he went 5-3, but he has not lost since he dropped a decision to Askar Askarov in July 2020.

Pantoja won the UFC flyweight title in July 2023 on the heels of two “Performance of the Night” submission wins. Pantoja secured the 125-pound title with a split decision win over Brandon Moreno. Since that victory, Pantoja has defended his three times, beating Brandon Royval in December 2023 and Steve Erceg in May 2024. Both fights ended in decision victories. Pantoja picked up his 19th career finish in his third title defense, submitting Kai Asakura at UFC 310 in December 2024.

Kai Kara-France (25-11-0-1) was 17-7-0-1 when he got the call from the UFC in 2019. In his first fight with the promotion, the New Zealander faced a short-notice opponent in Elias Garcia. The two won “Fight of the Night” honors for their efforts, with Kara-France picking up the decision win.

Kara-France followed that victory with two more wins on the judge’s scorecards. Then, in December 2019, he faced future champion Brandon Moreno on the early prelims of the UFC 245 pay-per-view card. Moreno won that bout by decision.

Kara-France went 1-1 in his next two outings. He then tore off three straight wins between March 2021 and March 2022 and found himself as the No. 2 ranked fighter in the division. In his next outing, he faced Moreno, who was ranked No. 1, in the co-main event of UFC 277. At stake was the interim UFC flyweight title. Moreno won that contest by TKO in the third round.

Kara-France followed that setback with a split-decision loss to Amir Albazi in June 2023.

Kara-France was booked to face Manel Kape in September 2023, but a concussion during training camp prevented Kara-France from competing on that card, UFC 293. The 32-year-old would not return to action until August 2024, where he earned a first-round TKO win, and a “Performance of the Night” bonus against Steve Erceg.

Kara-France enters UFC 317 as the No. 4 fighter in the official UFC flyweight rankings.

We will have more on the UFC 317 fight card and as fight night approaches.