Despite a tragic outbreak of wildfires across greater Los Angeles and a change to the main event just 24 hours before, UFC 311 proved to be an exciting kickoff to the 2025 pay-per-view schedule for the world’s leading MMA promotion on Saturday.
Islam Makhachev defended his lightweight title via first-round submission against replacement Reinato Moicano in the headliner after Arman Tsarukyan pulled out Friday due to a back injury caused by a difficult weight cut. In the co-main event, Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov co-authored one of the most thrilling title bouts in divisional history as “The Machine” made the first defense of his 135-pound title.
Let’s take a look at the biggest takeaways from a memorable night inside the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
1. Don’t let the opponent change rob Islam Makhachev of his flowers
Yes, from a betting odds perspective, Makhachev did what was expected of him in taking the red-hot Moicano down in the opening round and surgically producing a tap out via brabo choke. But how many champions, in the first place, would’ve accepted a new title challenger on such short notice? And how many of them would’ve executed with the stone-cold precision of Makhachev, just minutes after his teammate, Umar Nurmagomedov, failed in his bid to become bantamweight champion. Makhachev, the reigning pound-for-pound king, became the most decorated 155-pound champion in UFC history with his fourth title defense. He also set a company mark for victories in lightweight title bouts with five. Even more incredibly, the 33-year-old Makhachev moved one victory shy of Anderson Silva’s incredible UFC record of 16 consecutive wins. When asked during his post-fight interview who he wants next, Makhachev essentially issued an open challenge to the division of whomever steps up next in line (after previously revealing during fight week his interest in moving up to welterweight in an attempt to become a two-division champion). Whether or not he ends up exceeding the great legacy put forth by his teammate and coach, Khabib Nurmagomedov, doesn’t matter. Makhachev has already established himself as one of the greatest and most well-rounded fighters to ever step foot in the Octagon.
2. Merab Dvalishvili is simply built different
Down on two of three scorecards after two rounds and bleeding from his left eye, it looked as if the oddsmakers were justified in declaring Dvalishvili as such a sizeable underdog against the unbeaten Nurmagomedov. But there’s a reason why Dvalishvili is called “The Machine.” Dvalishvili simply never stopped coming forward despite Nurmagomedov’s early takedown defense and succeeded in gassing out his skilled opponent en route to a thrilling decision victory. It’s not enough to simply declare that Dvalishvili has the best cardio in all of UFC. This was a fighter who was counted out by so many, largely due to how much it appeared Nurmagomedov had been living rent free in Dvalishvili’s head leading up to the fight. But Dvalishvili’s stamina isn’t just unparalleled, it’s a weapon. And it felt apropos that his final takedown of the night, late in Round 5, was just enough to hold off Nurmagomedov to earn the decision because it also set a new UFC record as the champion passed Hall of Famer Georges St.-Pierre for the most in promotional history. He may largely be a comical (if not ridiculous) character outside of the cage. But inside it, Dvalishvili is inspirational and inevitable; a truly relentless human being.
3. Dvalishvili-Nurmagomedov was an instant classic
Hailed on the broadcast as the greatest title bout in UFC bantamweight history by Joe Rogan, Saturday’s co-main event was as good as a technical thriller over five rounds as the Octagon could produce. This one had high-level adjustments from both throughout, an incredible comeback and a tense final round — with the fight in the balance — that saw Dvalishvili combine a right cross and a key takedown to take a close decision. It was also contested at an ungodly pace over 25 minutes with an end result of Dvalishvili gassing out his unbeaten foe to defy his critics. For as much success as Nurmagomedov had early stuffing takedowns and clinically picking apart the champion on his feet, the final three rounds were an outright track meet as Dvalishvili dug deep for the inspirational win. Nurmagomedov revealed after the fight that he broke his left hand in the opening round and had to switch up his gameplan. Yet, he still put forth a performance that probably would have beaten any other bantamweight in the world on this night. This is what truly elite skill, conditioning and heart looks like at the highest level. And here’s to hoping these two see each other again in a title rematch somewhere down the line.
4. Jiri Prochazka tamed his wild side just enough to get back on track
With a record of 5-0 with five stoppages against UFC light heavyweights not named Alex Pereira, it goes without saying that Prochazka is among the most dangerous and exciting fighters in the game. But his penchant for engaging in outright wars with his hands down has never been a recipe for longterm success at the highest level, as evidenced by his pair of knockout title losses to “Poatan.” Prochazka reined in his recklessness just enough in a matchup of former 205-pound champions against Jamahal Hill on Saturday to remind his critics just how effective his game can be. To be fair, his hands were still mostly down as he traded tense shots (and even scarier missed punches) with Hill at close range throughout. But Prochazka’s commitment to head movement and not becoming too wild in his attack paid dividends as he calmly countered Hill with big shots in Round 3 to score a pair of knockdowns en route to a TKO win. His callout of Pereira for a third title bout was interesting afterwards, although the current champion’s future at light heavyweight remains up in the air as he enters a March title defense at UFC 313 against Magomed Anakalev, which was announced on Saturday. Whether or not “Poatan” makes a long-anticipated move up to heavyweight or not, Prochazka continues to prove that he’s a problem for every other fighter in the division.
5. Reinier de Ridder is quickly becoming a unique threat to the middleweight title
With two UFC victories in his first two months with the promotion, de Ridder is quickly making his name known to fans who never saw him compete previously as a two-division titleholder with ONE Championship in Asia. And even though “The Dutch Knight” is far from a perfectly well-rounded fighter, he proved on Saturday by submitting Kevin Holland with ease in the first round that his world-class grappling skills need to be taken seriously. De Ridder didn’t quite look the part during his UFC debut in December, when he absorbed heavy strikes from Gerald Meerschaert before rallying to submit him in Round 3. But RDR promised to tighten up his game and attack Holland off the start, which he did by landing a jab in the opening seconds before taking Holland immediately down. At 34, de Ridder remains a bit of a wild card in such a stacked and rejuvenated division. He could be a problem for any opponent on any given night.
Read the full article here
