UFC 311 has plenty of excitement attached to it, but the news on Friday afternoon may have dampened spirits just a bit. The main event has a new matchup after Arman Tsarukyan was forced to withdraw from his lightweight title showdown with champion Islam Makhachev. In his place steps veteran Renato Moicano, who was scheduled to face Beneil Dariush on the main card. Moicano made championship weight during the weigh-ins, making the title fight official.
The co-main event also sees a massive title fight on Saturday night in Los Angeles when bad blood is finally settled in the Octagon. Bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili looks to defend his title for the first time against rising star Umar Nurmagomedov.
The native of Georgia claimed the bantamweight title with a close win over Sean O’Malley at UFC 306 in September. Nurmagomedov, meanwhile, hasn’t faced the stiffest competition en route to this title opportunity, but he did defeat a top contender in Cory Sandhagen in his most recent appearance in emphatic fashion.
“We have the best team and the best coaches,” UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev told CBS Sports. “The most important thing is we all wish each other the best. We are here to help each other. We have more than 20 people here.
“Not for money. Not for nothing. Just to help our brothers and friends to be champion. If someone from this team needs something, I’m always going to be close. I’m always going to help these guys. This is the number one most important thing.”
With the adjustments to the main event, the undercard also saw some tweaks. Dariush won’t remain on the card, but White said that he will be taken care of and get rebooked soon. Replacing Moicano vs. Dariush on the main card will be heavyweights Jailton Almeida and Serghei Spivac. Plus, former light heavyweight champions Jiri Prochazka and Jamahal Hill are set to throw down. That matchup has the interesting wrinkle that neither fighter lost their title in the ring and instead were forced to vacate after suffering injury.
Below is the complete fight card for UFC 311 along with the latest odds. Check back all week for the latest news, features and other content around this massive event.
UFC 311 fight card, odds
- Islam Makhachev (c) -900 vs. Renato Moicano +600, lightweight title
- Umar Nurmagomedov -320 vs. Merab Dvalishvili (c) +250, bantamweight title
- Jiri Prochazka -140 vs. Jamahal Hill +110, light heavyweights
- Jailton Almeida -480 vs. Serghei Spivac +360, heavyweights
- Reiner de Ridder -115 vs. Kevin Holland -105, middleweights
- Payton Talbott -1200 vs. Raoni Barcelos +750, bantamweights
- Grant Dawson -260 vs. Diego Ferreira +210, lightweights
- Karol Rosa -265 vs. Ailin Perez +215, women’s bantamweights
- Rinya Nakamura -550 vs. Muin Gafurov +400, bantamweights
- Bogdan Guskov -165 vs. Johnny Walker +140, light heavyweights
- Benardo Sopaj -290 vs. Ricky Turcios +235, bantamweights
- Tagir Ulanbekov -350 vs. Clayton Carpenter +275, flyweights
UFC 311 info
- Date: Jan. 18
- Location: Intuit Dome — Inglewood, California
- Start time: 10 p.m. ET (Main card)
- How to watch: ESPN+ PPV ($79.99 plus taxes)
UFC 311 countdown
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