The rematch between Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan has been confirmed as the main event for UFC 311. The fight card airs live on pay-per-view from the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles on January 18. Makhachev defeated Tsarukyan by unanimous decision in their first fight in April 2019.
Riding a 14-fight winning streak, Makhachev (26-1) makes the fourth defense of his lightweight title. The 33-year-old secured his previous victory in June, submitting Dustin Poirier in the fifth round.
Armenian Tsarukyan (22-3) makes his first attempt to become a champion. The 28-year-old defeated Charles Oliveira by split decision in April, securing his fourth win in a row.
Dana White announced the UFC 311 main event in a new short video. The UFC CEO also confirmed the co-main event pitting Merab Dvalishvili against Umar Nurmagomedov.
33-year-old Dvalishvili (18-4) from Georgia makes the first defense of the bantamweight title he claimed by unanimous decision against Sean O’Malley in September. 28-year-old Nurmagomedov (18-0) defeated Cory Sandhagen by unanimous decision in August, maintaining his unbeaten record.
In addition to another recently confirmed bantamweight matchup between Las Vegas native Payton Talbott (9-0) and Raoni Barcelos (18-5) from Brazil, the current UFC 311 lineup is as follows:
- Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan – Makhachev’s UFC lightweight title
- Merab Dvalishvili vs. Umar Nurmagomedov – Dvalishvili’s UFC bantamweight title
- Johnny Walker vs. Bogdan Guskov
- Payton Talbott vs. Raoni Barcelos
- Karol Rosa vs. Ailin Perez
- Jiri Prochazka vs. Jamahal Hill
- Jailton Almeida vs. Serghei Spivac
- Rinya Nakamura vs. Muin Gafurov
- Zachary Reese vs. Sedriques Dumas
- Ricky Turcios vs. Bernardo Sopaj
- Grant Dawson vs. Diego Ferreira
- Kevin Holland vs. Reiner de Ridder