Renato Moicano, UFC 311 ceremonial weigh-in Credit: Gabriel Gonzalez/Cageside Press
UFC’s first PPV event of 2025 was a huge success in terms of quality of matches. But the UFC 311 card seemed to fall apart before the big night.
There were devastating wildfires in the area, and half of the main events were complicated to say the least. But the main card still delivered on all fronts, with only the final bout of the night between the UFC lightweight champion and the bottom two ranked #10 ranked Renato Moicano leaving anything to chance. Despite some literal blunders, this is Islam Makhachev’s clean victory, putting Renato back to square one and giving him his only chance to win the lightweight belt. Not to mention one of the biggest “losers” on this fight card, Arman Tsarukian. Who will not be given an automatic shot at the title again? There were several decisive losses on Saturday’s card at Intuit Dome, which means the next matches booked in the event of a loss will be extremely important.
Arman Tsarukyan
Arman Tsarukyan flopped one of the biggest chances of his career when he unexpectedly injured his back just hours before Friday’s weigh-in. Tsarukyan will be sidelined from the high-stakes rematch, which could have a devastating effect on his fighting career.
UFC President Dana White made it clear in his post-fight press conference that Tsarukyan is not his next title shot.
It is essential that Armand performs well in his next fight. He will likely be a tough opponent and will need some kind of finish to get another shot at the title. Tsarukyan entered fight week at UFC 311 as the number one ranked UFC lightweight.
Tsarukyan’s next fight should be a draw against the winner of the Justin Gaethje vs. Dan Hooker fight at UFC 313 on March 8th. That fight could turn into a war, so if Allman has to get back in the cage before then, he could look at a fighter like Max Holloway, who is ranked No. 5 at lightweight. towards. However, the winner between No. 3 Gaethje and No. 6 Hooker would be the perfect striking-first opponent to face Allman.
Tsarukyan’s next fight: Justin Gaethje vs. Dan Hooker winner
Renato Moicano
Renato Moicano was taken down and submitted in the first round for a quick title shot in Saturday’s main event. UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev narrowly stopped Mane Moicano, but as the Brazilian reluctantly admitted after the fight, this was likely his only chance to win the lightweight belt.
Renato entered the title fight ranked 10th and was originally scheduled to face Beneil Darish, who was ranked 9th. The 35-year-old former featherweight had won four straight with three stoppages leading up to the fight. Realistically, this is a freebie for Moicano, and his stock is likely to remain virtually intact. Darish has not fought since December 2023, so the Renato vs. Beneil fight will have to be rebooked. Moicano didn’t seem to have sustained much damage, so it’s possible that it will happen sooner or later.
Moicano’s next battle: Benel Darish
Umar Nurmagomedov
Umar Nurmagomedov suffered the first loss of his professional career on Saturday in an instant classic against UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili. Although the 29-year-old lost by unanimous decision, the fight continued at a high level until the final moments. Umar entered the fight as the No. 2 ranked UFC bantamweight. Merab has recently posted dominant wins over former champion Petr Yan and most recently Sean O’Malley, and Umar has a strong case for a rematch. Umar’s previous win was over #4 Cory Sandhagen, so the only other contender for the belt will be former flyweight champion #5 Deiveson Figueiredo.
The second part of Merab vs. Umar could be very interesting, especially what kind of game Umar, Khabib, and co. You can see what they come up with.
Nurmagomedov’s next fight: Merab Dvalishvili
Jamahal Hill
Jamahal Hill was stopped late in the final round of a fight that had fans on the edge of their seats at UFC 311 on Saturday. Jiri Prochaska showed off his gas tank and versatile striking that ultimately wore Hill down. A dynamic counter sealed the deal for “Sweet Dreams,” but he was dropped and pounded out seconds later. It was definitely a bitter pill for Hill to swallow. The past few years have been tough for Hill since his January 2023 win over light heavyweight champion Glover Texiera, with multiple injuries and the fact that three fights have been canceled and both ended in a decision. It became a nightmare.
Jamahal entered the bout ranked No. 3 in the UFC’s light heavyweight division, while Ili was ranked No. 2. With all these factors in mind, Jamahal should fight Aleksandar Rakic.
That could be No. 7 ranked Khalil Rountree Jr., who Hill matched up with before he missed last year due to injury, or Rakic. Khalil had a great showing against champion Alex Pereia in a late-fight loss. Alternatively, Aleksandar Rakic, ranked fifth, has lost his last three matches. In 2022, he defeated Jan Blachowicz by third round TKO due to a knee injury, in April of last year he defeated Jiri Prochaska by TKO in the second round, and in October he lost by unanimous decision to Magomed Ankalaev. . Rakic makes a little more sense since both fighters have finished and have a bit of work to do (more than a few fights for the title). Except, of course, in a second-last-minute substitution situation.
Hill’s next fight: Aleksandar Rakic
Sergei Spivats
Sergey Spivac finished late in the first round on Saturday, even though Jailton Almedia ran into serious trouble early on. Spivac has lost two of his last four fights since early 2023. Spivak took a choking round on Derrick Lewis and was stopped in two losses by Cyril Gane in September 2013. Coming into Saturday’s fight, Spivach was coming off a first-round armbar victory over No. 8 ranked heavyweight Marcin Tybura last August.
Sergey entered UFC 311 ranked No. 7 in the UFC heavyweight rankings, but his opponent was ranked No. 6, just above him.
The heavyweight rankings are crowded. Everyone has fought everyone. Jairzinho Rozenstryk, ranked No. 9, makes a lot of sense, but he is booked against No. 4 Sergei Pavlovic. However, that game is scheduled for February 1st. The loser of the battle would have lost two or three of the last four matches. Either way, it will be a fresh opponent, but also a classic striker vs. grappler matchup.
Spivac’s next match: Loser of Sergei Pavlovic vs. Jairzinho Rozenstrik
kevin holland
Kevin Holland was on the wrong side with another quick finish to start Saturday night’s UFC 311 main card. To say it was a disappointing result for Holland would be a huge understatement, as the UFC gatekeeper lost to Reinier de Ridder via first-round submission. Holland has lost four of his last five games since September 2023. Holland has a respectable record at welterweight, going 0-2 in two fights against Jack Della Maddalena and Michael Page. Kevin overruled both fighters. At this point, Kevin has 1 win and 2 losses in the middleweight division. He defeated Michal Olekszechuk at UFC 302 last June.
For now, if Holland is serious about continuing to fight at 185 pounds, it could continue to be difficult for him to find a win column or draw a matchup that advances him toward the belt. there is. At this rate, it’s not hard to imagine him facing someone like Bo Niccal in the near future. By no means is this to suggest that Kevin Holland’s UFC roster spot is in jeopardy (it’s not), but Holland could be on his way to another tier with a few more losses in “that” fashion. The first step will become easier. That being said, a fighter like Paul Craig would be a good opponent for Holland. Craig is 1-3 since dropping his weight from 205 pounds to 185 pounds in mid-2023. His only win during that time was a second-round victory over Andre Muniz. The Scottish fighter was finished at middleweight by Brendan Allen and Caio Boralho. Most recently, Craig lost a unanimous decision to Bo Niccal at UFC 309. The grappling ace is in desperate need of a win and will be able to match Kevin’s incredible turnaround time between matches.
Holland’s next fight: Paul Craig
