breaking news!!!!
Makhachev will face Moicano for the lightweight title.
#UFC311 It’s live tomorrow @ESPNPlus
PPV! pic.twitter.com/2JZevvpQP2
— Dana White (@danawhite)
January 17, 2025
The first big Ultimate Fighting Championship show of the year was a huge success.
During Friday’s initial weigh-in for UFC 311, Sherdog learned from a source close to the situation that leading lightweight title challenger Arman Tsarukyan has suffered a back injury. As a result, he was forced to withdraw from the main event against Islam Makhachev (26 wins, 1 loss). The promotion goes to Renato “Money” Moicano (20-5-1), who will face Beneil Dariush on the main card. According to the UFC on Friday morning, Moicano has agreed to fight for the strap and a new marquee match has been set.
Champion Makhachev will be looking to build on his 14th straight win and take on an entirely new opponent who will step up in the coming days. He has recorded his first three title defenses, two against Alexander Volkanovski and one against Dustin Poirier, and is attempting to become the first lightweight champion to record four consecutive title defenses. The Russian native of Dagestan is currently Sherdog’s top pound-for-pound fighter.
Brazil’s Carneiro will be aiming for an unexpected title after an impressive 2024 season in which he won three races. After claiming a decision win over Drew Dober, Moicano pummeled Jalin Turner with elbows and punches, scoring the first knockout of his career. A few months later, he returned to dispatch Benoît Saint-Denis, but the doctor was forced to rescue the Frenchman after 10 minutes of frenzy.
Darish will step into the cage for the first time in a year, the last time the pair lost against Tsarukyan in 64 seconds. It was Charles Oliveira’s second straight first-round KO loss, as Charles Oliveira put him away in about four minutes, ending his eight-fight win streak. Before his two losses, Dariush had defeated names like Mateusz Gamrot, Dobell, Diego Ferreira and Tony Ferguson, while also scoring one of the few spinning backfist knockouts in UFC history.
UFC 311 takes place on January 18th at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, with a new main event scheduled as Islam Makhachev takes on Renato Moicano for the lightweight gold medal. The other title fight before that is at 135 pounds, with Merab Dvalishvili defending his belt against Umar Nurmagomedov. The main card also includes a potential light heavyweight title eliminator that pits Jiri Prochazka against Jamahal Hill, and a thriller matchup that pits Kevin Holland against Reinier de Ridder at middleweight.
