The UFC Lightweight Champion is facing a last minute replacement.
Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan had an absolute banger in 2019, but the current UFC Lightweight Champion left the match-up as winner. These two were supposed to have a rematch tonight, but Arman Tsarukyan was forced to pull out due to a back injury.
That means the lightweight champion comes in with a disadvantage as he’ll fight Renato Moicano, who steps into the bout on an impressive four fight winning streak; Moicano won three of those fights via knockout or submission. Renato Moicano currently stands at 20 wins and 5 losses.
Makhachev hasn’t lost a fight since 2015. Islam successfully defended his title against Alexander Volkanovski and Dustin Poirer. In his last ten fights, the lightweight champion has won a bout by submission or TKO. Islam Makhachev currently stands at 26 wins and 1 loss.
In the co-main event, the UFC Bantamweight Championship will be on the line as Merab Dvalishvili’s first title defense will be against Umar Nurmagomedov. The newly crowned UFC Bantamweight Champion hasn’t lost a fight in seven years, beating former champions Henry Cejudo, Petr Yan, Jose Aldo, and Sean O’Malley in the process. Merab currently stands at 18 wins and 4 losses.
On the other hand, Umar Nurmagomedov comes in undefeated. Nurmagomedov has plowed through the 135-pound division since his UFC debut in 2021, getting a statement win over Cory Sandhagen to secure an opportunity at the Bantamweight belt at UFC 311. Will Merab be the first man to snap his undefeated streak?
Tonight’s card also features Jiri Prochazaka, Kevin Holland, and Jamahal Hill in action. Check out the advertised line-up below:
UFC 311 PPV Main Event on ESPN+ PPV:
UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev vs. Renato Moicano
UFC 311 PPV Main Card on ESPN+ PPV:
UFC Bantamweight Champion Merab Dvalishvili vs. Umar Nurmagomedov
Jiri Prochazka vs. Jamahal Hill
Kevin Holland vs. Reinier de Ridder
Jailton Almeida vs. Serghei Spivac
UFC 311 ‘Prelims’ Card on ESPN/Disney+/ESPN+ (8 p.m. ET):
Bogdan Guskov vs. Billy Elekana
Payton Talbott vs. Raoni Barcelos
Zach Reese vs. Azamat Bekoev
UFC 311 Early ‘Prelims’ Card on Disney+/ESPN+ (6 p.m. ET):
Grant Dawson vs. Diego Ferreira
Karol Rosa vs. Ailín Perez
Rinya Nakamura vs. Muin Gafurov
Ricky Turcios vs. Benardo Sopai
Tagir Ulanbekov vs. Clayton Carpenter