UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev had his plans for UFC 311 upended when Arman Tsarukyan pulled out of their scheduled main event fight just a day before the card. Makhachev ultimately made the risky decision to move forward with a fight against late replacement Renato Moicano and he proved any concerns about changing opponents were overblown, scoring a first-round submission to retain his title.
The fight started slowly, with both men seemingly wanting to get a feel for an opponent they hadn’t trained for.
There was an exciting moment when Moicano threw a flurry of punches and Makhachev hit the canvas. This turned out to be the result of a slip, not a knockdown, but it was still Moicano’s best moment of the fight as, shortly after, Makhachev scored a takedown and things became a formality from there.
As Moicano attempted to get back up, Makhachev put an arm under the chin and locked in a d’arce choke to force the tap at 4:05 of the first round.
“I’m always looking to finish,” Makhachev said after his victory. “I told you guys, I don’t just talk. I told you, if my opponent gives me even one chance, I will close the fight.”
With this victory, Makhachev successfully defended his championship for the fourth time, breaking the record for consecutive lightweight title defenses. When asked who he wanted to face next, the champion said the door to the Octagon was open to anyone who wanted to face him.
“For me it doesn’t matter,” Makhachev said. “Who can win 155? Just head to the cage. … I like that belt. That’s not my job. If anyone wants that belt, come to the cage.”
Moicano was dejected after the defeat, clearly disappointed that he hadn’t been able to capitalize on an opportunity that fell in his lap, even though he had earned a lot of respect for taking such a big risk on short notice.
“I’m not done,” Moicano said. “I don’t know if I will have such a chance again, but I will do my best to achieve it.”
Meanwhile, the co-main event was full of drama. Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov played high-speed chess over the first three rounds, with the challenger doing everything he could to keep the champion at bay. But all the energy consumption came back to bite him as Nurmagomedov looked physically gassed in the final two rounds while Dvalishvili piled on the pressure. He returned home with a record score to retain his title. Nurmagomedov revealed after the fight that he suffered a broken hand in the first round.
Additionally, Jiri Prochazka made a massive statement to the rest of the light heavyweight division with a third-round TKO of Jamahal Hill.
CBS Sports was with you all the way Saturday to bring you all the results and highlights from UFC 311 below.
UFC 311 card, results
- Islam Makhachev (c) def. Renato Moicano via first round submission (d’arce choke)
- Merab Dvalishvili (c) def. Umar Nurmagomedov by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46)
- Jiri Prochazka def. Jamahal Hill via third-round TKO (punches)
- Jailton Almeida def. Serghei Spivac via first-round TKO (punches)
- Reiner of Ridder def. Kevin Hollande via first round submission (rear naked choke)
- Raoni Barcelos def. Payton Talbott by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Azamat Bekoev def. Zachary Reese via first-round TKO (punches)
- Bogdan Guskov def. Billy Elekana via second round submission (guillotine choke)
- Grant Dawson def. Diego Ferreira by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Ailin Perez def. Karol Rosa by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Muin Gafurov def. Rinya Nakamura by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Bernardo Sopaj def. Ricky Turcios by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Tagir Ulanbekov def. Clayton Carpenter by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
