UFC 311 Main Card
New year is around the corner and UFC has come up with one of the craziest star packed fights to begin it’s first PPV of 2025. UFC 311 is going to take place on January 18, 2025 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
This highly anticipated event, set to take place in January, is already generating a significant amount of buzz among fans and analysts alike. Featuring two title fights, the card promises to showcase some of the most exciting matchups in recent memory. These championship bouts are sure to capture the attention of fight fans around the world, as the stakes are incredibly high and the contenders involved have all been building momentum in their respective divisions.
UFC 311 will feature the main event Islam Makhachev (26-1-0) vs Arman Tsarukyan (22-3-0) for the UFC Lightweight Championship. Islam will look to defend his title for the 4th time. The two have fought before in April 2019, where Islam came out victorious via unanimous decision. The first fight was more wrestling-dominant, but both fighters have evolved a lot since then in terms of their striking as well. It will be interesting to see Arman’s approach, as in the press conference, he said that he has prepared a secret technique to win this time.
UFC 311’s co-main event will feature current Bantamweight Champion Merab Dvalishvili (18-4-0) vs Umar Nurmagomedov (18-0-0). This will be an interesting fight, as we have seen some trash talk and heat between the two, with Dvalishvili feeling that Umar does not deserve the title, as he has hardly fought any ranked opponents. Umar’s last performance against Cory Sandhagen is proof that the fight will be much closer, even if Dvalishvili is not happy with the matchup.
In the Lightweight Division, Beneil Dariush (22-6-1) will take on Renato Moicano (20-5-1). Both of these fighters are on opposite ends of their careers, with Beneil Dariush losing his last two fights, whereas Renato is on a 4-fight winning streak. These defeats have left Dariush at a crossroads in his career, but he remains a dangerous and skilled fighter who has beaten some of the top contenders in the division. With his back against the wall, Dariush will be looking to bounce back and prove he’s still among the elite.
Even though it’s not the main or co-main event, fans would be most excited about the Light Heavyweight fight, where second-ranked Jiri Prochazka (30-5-1) will take on third-ranked Jamahal Hill (12-5-0). With Jamahal Hill being dismissive of Jiri’s skills and Jiri feeling disrespected, this fight will be the most anticipated. Also, given Jiri’s unpredictable style, with a mix of ferocious striking, and Jamahal’s knockout power, fans would expect a knockout performance from either one of them. Both have come up short against the current champion, Alex Pereira, but this fight might give them a chance to have another crack at the belt.
UFC 311 will also feature veteran Kevin Holland (26-12-0) vs Reinier de Ridder (18-2-0). Despite having a mediocre career, fans love Kevin Holland both on and off the cage. This will be a great opportunity for Reinier to make his name, which could elevate his stock and give him better fighting opportunities in the future.
UFC 311 Prelims and Early Prelims
- No. 9 ranked light heavyweightJohnny Walker (21-9 1NC, Dublin, Ireland by way of Rio das Ostras, Brazil) defends his ranking against No. 14 Bogdan Guskov (16-3, Dukent, Uzbekistan).
- Dana White’s Contender Series standout Payton Talbott (9-0, Reno, Nev.) faces veteran Raoni Barcelos (18-5, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) in a bantamweight battle.
- Top heavyweight contenders collide as No. 6 ranked Jailton Almeida (21-3, Bahia, Brazil) meets No. 7 Serghei Spivac (17-4, Chisinau, Moldova).
- Middleweights Zachary Reese (8-1, Houston, Texas) and Sedriques Dumas (10-2, Pensacola, Fla.) go head-to-head.
- No. 15 ranked lightweightGrant Dawson (22-2-1, Lee’s Summit, Mo.) faces Diego Ferreira (19-5, Pharr, Texas) in an exciting grappler clash.
- No. 9 ranked women’s bantamweight Karol Rosa (18-6, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) aims to end No. 13 Ailin Perez‘s win streak (11-2, Buenos Aires, Argentina).
- Undefeated bantamweightRinya Nakamura (9-0, Tokyo, Japan) takes on Muin Gafurov (19-6, Dushanbe, Tajikistan).
- Bantamweights Ricky Turcios (13-4, Houston, Texas) and Benardo Sopaj (11-2, Fier, Albania) aim for a thrilling performance.
- No. 11 ranked flyweightTagir Ulanbekov (16-2, Dagestan, Russia) looks to hand Clayton Carpenter (8-0, Phoenix, Ariz.) his first loss.
