Islam Makhachev doubts Arman Tsarukyan truly has anything special in store for him at UFC 311. Makhachev (26-1 MMA, 15-1 UFC) defends his lightweight title in a rematch against Tsarukyan (22-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) in Saturday's
Arman Tsarukyan's nearly six-year journey to the UFC lightweight title will take a little longer. Tsarukyan suffered an injury two nights before challenging lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 311.
Islam Makhachev (26-1 MMA, 15-1 UFC) defends his lightweight title in a rematch against Arman Tsarukyan (22-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) in Saturday’s main event (pay-per-view, ESPNews/Disney+, ESPN+) at Intuit Dome.
Lopes is the number three-ranked featherweight in the world, but has only made one appearance up the weights in short notice catchweight bout against Dan Ige. Meanwhile Poirier was the last man to challenge Makhachev at UFC 301 last summer, losing by submission in the fifth round.
Makhachev, 33, takes a 26-1 record into the fight that includes a division-record 14-match winning streak. He claimed his first championship Oct. 22, 2022, in a second-round submission of Charles Oliveira. Makhachev since twice defended his title against Alexander Volkanovski and once against Dustin Poirier.
UFC 311 continues with the UFC lightweight title fight between Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan. Check out our UFC odds series for our Makhachev-Tsarukyan prediction.
An injured Arman Tsarukyan has been replaced in the main event of UFC 311, with Renato Moicano now challenging Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title – on one day’s notice.
As a result of Tsarukyan's dropout, lightweight contender Renato Moicano is stepping into the main to challenge Makhachev for the 155-pound title on short notice. Moicano was previously scheduled to face fellow veteran contender Beneil Dariush on the pay-per-view card.
Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan sized each other up for the first time on fight week at the UFC 311 press conference.
Dana White confirms Arman Tsarukyan's withdrawal due to a back injury; Islam Makhachev now faces Renato Moicano at UFC 311.
Who will walk out of California holding gold? The Sporting News will provide results from the entire UFC 311 fight card