Despite the fires in Southern California, the UFC returns to the Intuit Dome this weekend with UFC 311. The card features a lightweight title headliner as current champion Islam Makhachev faces the red-hot Arman Tsarukyan in a much-anticipated rematch.
The co-main event, meanwhile, is another title fight as bantamweight king Merab Dvalishvili looks for his first title defense against the undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov. Let’s take a look at all of the action going down on the stacked card.
UFC 311 Prelim Card
The action kicks off with a flyweight encounter between Tagir Ulanbekov and Clayton Carpenter. While Carpenter is undefeated, as the #11 contender in the division, Ulanbekov is a solid favorite to get the victory. RUF winner Ricky Turcios battles Benardo Sopaj in a bantamweight fight. Expect Sopaj to come out on top in this affair in his second UFC battle.
More bantamweights are in action as Rinya Nakamura clashes with Muin Gafurov. Nakamura is a heavy favorite and should maintain his undefeated record.
Karol Rosa meets Ailin Perez in women's bantamweight action. Rosa is favored to emerge victorious in this contest, and looks to add to her four fight winning streak.
Grant Dawson meets Diego Ferreira in a lightweight tilt. Although this should be competitive, Dawson is the favorite who should come away with the win and should move into the top 15.
Heavyweights collide as top 10 ranked fighters Jailton Almeida and Sergey Spivak face off. Expect Almedia to return to the win column in this matchup.
Exciting bantamweight star Payton Talbott faces arguably his toughest test in Raoni Barcelos. That said, Talbott is the biggest favorite on the night and should earn a finish over the vet.
Light heavyweights clash when Bogdan Guskov faces Billy Elekana. Guskov is coming off a couple solid wins to get him into the top 15, and should get another victory here over the Johnny Walker replacement.
UFC 311 Main Card
Holland (26-12, 1NC) vs de Ridder (18-2)
Kevin Holland takes on Reinier de Ridder in a middleweight matchup to kick off the main card. Holland is coming off a TKO defeat to Roman Dolidze at UFC 307 back in October. It was his first defeat since returning to middleweight from welterweight after submitting Michal Oleksiejczuk in June. Overall, Holland is 3-3 in his last six fights while he has also lost five of his last eight, and it’s a challenge to know what to expect when the Texan steps into the Octagon.
De Ridder, meanwhile, is coming off a debut win in the UFC after submitting Gerald Meerschaert back in November. The former ONE two-weight champion is on a two-fight winning streak overall and will be looking for his biggest win yet in Holland. This should be a very competitive contest but oddsmakers are giving the slightest of edges to the Dutchman to come out on top. This is a great matchup to kick off the main card.
Beneil (22-6-1) vs Moicano (20-5-1)
An intriguing lightweight contest is also on the cards as Beneil Dariush clashes with the red-hot Renato Moicano. Dariush is in a slump after back-to-back knockout defeats to Charles Oliveira and most recently, Arman Tsarukyan in December 2023. After previously embarking on an eight-fight winning streak on the brink of a title shot, Dariush now finds himself at risk of losing three in a row.
Moicano on the other hand is on a four-fight winning streak with six wins in his last seven overall. His recent winning streak includes wins over Brad Riddell, Drew Dober, Jalin Turner and Benoit Saint Denis. While both fighters excel on the ground, Moicano may have a slight edge and more than an edge if it ends up being a striking battle, especially with Dariush’s recent defeats. It’s hard to see the Brazilian not making it five wins in a row with a victory over Dariush.
Jiri (30-5-1) vs Hill (12-2, 1NC)
Former light heavyweight champions collide when Jiri Prochazka meets Jamahal Hill. Prochazka is coming off his second title fight defeat to current champion Alex Pereira after a second-round knockout back in June. Prior to that, Prochazka returned to the win column from his first defeat to Pereira with a TKO win over Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 300.
Hill is also coming off a knockout defeat to Pereira after getting finished in the first round of the UFC 300 headliner back in April. Prior to that, Hill won the light heavyweight title against Glover Teixeira in January 2023 before having to vacate it due to injury. Overall, he was on a four-fight winning streak prior to his defeat to Pereira.
Given the styles of the two fighters, this should take place entirely on the feet. And while this should remain a competitive fight, Hill is just about favored to edge this affair.
Dvalishvili (18-4) vs Nurmagomedov (18-0)
The co-main event features an exciting bantamweight title fight between new champion Merab Dvalishvili and the undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov. Dvalishvili, of course, became the 135-pound king after a dominant unanimous decision victory over Sean O’Malley back in September. Overall, it puts him on an 11-fight winning streak that also includes wins over the likes of big names such as Jose Aldo, Marlon Moraes, Henry Cejudo and Petr Yan.
Nurmagomedov, meanwhile, remains undefeated in the UFC and professionally with his latest win being a unanimous decision victory over Cory Sandhagen back in August. Overall, the Dagestan native is 6-0 in the UFC and also holds wins over Raoni Barcelos and Brian Kelleher.
This is an intriguing stylistic matchup given that Dvalishvili likes to pressure opponents and take them down while Nurmagomedov is equally good on the feet as he is on the ground. There will certainly be plenty of wrestling scrambles in what should be a close contest. However, it seems oddsmakers believe Nurmagomedov will be the one to negate Dvalishvili’s wrestling as he is a solid favorite in this matchup to stay undefeated. At such long odds, I like the champ to squeak out a decision in this exciting co-main event.
Makhachev (26-1) vs Tsarukyan (22-3)
The main event features arguably the most anticipated rematch in recent history as longtime 155-pound champion Islam Makhachev looks for his fourth title defense when he faces Arman Tsarukyan. Makhachev recently defended his title with a fifth-round submission victory over Dustin Poirier. It follows consecutive title defenses over Alexander Volkanovski while Makhachev is also on a 14-fight winning streak that includes wins over Charles Oliveira, Bobby Green, Dan Hooker and Thiago Moises.
Tsarukyan is on a four-fight winning streak with wins over Damir Ismagulov, Joaquim Silva, Beneil Dariush and most recently, a split decision victory over Oliveira at UFC 300 in April. Overall, he has won nine of his 10 UFC fights since suffering a unanimous decision defeat to Makhachev in his promotional debut back in April 2019.
Their first meeting was a highly competitive matchup with some of the best grappling and wrestling exchanges. It’s also a fight many believe is still Makhachev’s toughest to date and if it’s anything to go by, the rematch will be even better given the growth of both fighters since.
The champ has proven to be a well-rounded fighter with more than just wrestling -- he’s a threat on the feet as well. Tsarukyan is equally adept on the ground and on the feet and arguably the biggest threat to dethroning Makhachev today. That said, Makhachev is still a big favorite and I like him to stop the fight before the final bell rings. Enjoy this main event showdown!
