Title: UFC 311 Fight Night Preview: Fights to Watch and Key Information
Tonight's UFC action brings us to the Intuit Dome for UFC 311. The main event sees UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev facing off against Renato Moicano, with Makhachev defending his title after an injury forced Arman Tsarukyan out of the fight. In the co-headliner, UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili defends his title against Umar Nurmagomedov. Here's what you need to know about tonight's UFC 311 fight card:
Main Event: Islam Makhachev vs. Renato Moicano
Arman Tsarukyan was originally set to face Makhachev, but a back injury forced him to withdraw, leading Makhachev to take on Renato Moicano instead. Makhachev, a training partner of ex-UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, has an impressive 15-1 record in the UFC with 10 finishes and 5 decisions. He captured the vacant UFC lightweight title in October 2022 with a submission win over Charles Oliveira.
Moicano, a 35-year-old veteran of the UFC, is riding a four-fight winning streak after opening his UFC career with a 3-0 record. He is currently 19-5-1 in his career and is looking to capitalize on this opportunity to challenge one of the best lightweights in the division.
Makhachev expressed his enthusiasm for the change in plans, saying he would fight anyone, and Dana White agreed that Moicano was the perfect replacement for Tsarukyan.
Co-Main Event: Merab Dvalishvili vs. Umar Nurmagomedov
In the co-headliner, Merab Dvalishvili puts his bantamweight title on the line against Umar Nurmagomedov. Dvalishvili, a training partner of former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, joined the UFC in 2017 after a 10-fight winning streak. He has since remained unbeaten, winning 13 straight fights, including defeating Marlon Moraes, Jose Aldo, and Petr Yan.
Umar Nurmagomedov, the brother of Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov and cousin of former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, made his UFC debut in January 2021 with a submission win over Sergey Morozov. Since then, he has extended his winning streak to six fights, including a dominant victory over Cory Sandhagen in his most recent bout.
UFC 311 Pay-Per-View Card
Here are the other main card bouts for UFC 311:
- Jiri Prochazka vs. Jamahal Hill (Light Heavyweight Bout)
- Jailton Almeida vs. Serghei Spivac (Heavyweight Bout)
- Kevin Holland vs. Reiner de Ridder (Middleweight Bout)
- Grant Dawson vs. Diego Ferreira (Lightweight Bout)
The prelims will start at 6:00 p.m. ET on ESPN, with the pay-per-view card beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Sources:
- https://www.mmafighting.com/2023/1/18/22880514/islam-makhachev-replaces-arman-tsarukyan-ufc-311-main-event-dana-white
- https://www.mmafighting.com/2023/1/16/22880635/arman-tsarukyan-withdraws-from-ufc-311-main-event-due-to-back-injury
- https://www.mmafighting.com/2023/1/20/22883725/ufc-tonight-onsite-ugc-311-fifth-episode-merab-dvalishvili-vs-umar-nurmagomedov
- https://www.mmafighting.com/2023/1/20/22883607/ufc-tonight-onsite-ufc-311-third-episode-arman-tsarukyan-pulls-out-of-ufc-311-main-event-due-to-back-injury
The UFC schedule for January 18th features the highly anticipated UFC 311 event at the Intuit Dome. UFC 311 includes a pay-per-view main event between Islam Makhachev and Renato Moicano, with Makhachev defending his title after Arman Tsarukyan's withdrawal due to injury. The UFC schedule also includes a co-headliner between Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov for the bantamweight title. UFC 311 pay-per-view is available on ESPN+, with the main card starting at 10:00 p.m. ET. Renato Moicano looks forward to taking advantage of this opportunity to challenge one of the top lightweights, as evidenced by his current 19-5-1 record in the UFC.
