INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 16: (L-R) Opponents Islam Makhachev of Russia and Arman Tsarukyan of … [+] Georgia face off during the UFC 311 press conference at Intuit Dome on January 16, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC)
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The UFC’s first pay-per-view event of the year happens on Saturday, January 18, at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
UFC 311 will feature two championship bouts. In the main event, UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev will defend his title in a rematch against Arman Tsarukyan.
Makhachev won their first meeting by unanimous decision in a battle that garnered Fight of the Night bonuses back in April 2019.
In the co-main event, UFC men’s bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili will defend his title against Umar Nurmagomedov.
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 16: (L-R) Opponents Umar Nurmagomedov of Russia and Merab … [+] Dvalishvili of Georgia face off during the UFC 311 press conference at Intuit Dome on January 16, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
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The early prelims begin at 6 p.m. ET. Here is a look at the complete card, as well as the start times for all three sections of the event, along with viewing info.
UFC 311 Main Card (10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ Pay-Per-View)
- UFC Lightweight Title Bout: Islam Makhachev (Champion) vs. (1) Arman Tsarukyan
- UFC Bantamweight Title Bout: Merab Dvalishvili (Champion) vs. (2) Umar Nurmagomedov
- Lightweight Bout: (9) Beneil Dariush vs. (10) Renato Moicano
- Light Heavyweight Bout: (2) Jiří Procházka vs. (3) Jamahal Hill
- Middleweight Bout: Kevin Holland vs. Reinier the Knight
UFC 311 Preliminary Card (8 p.m. ET on ESPNEWS & ESPN+)
- Light Heavyweight Bout: (13) Bogdan Guskov vs. Billy Elekana
- Bantamweight Bout: Payton Talbott vs. Raoni Barcelos
- Heavyweight Bout: (6) Jailton Almeida vs. (7) Serghei Spivac
- Middleweight Bout: Zach Reese vs. Azamat Bekoev
UFC 311 Early Preliminary Card (6 p.m. ET on UFC Fight Pass and ESPN+)
- Lightweight Bout: Grant Dawson vs. Diego Ferreira
- Women’s Bantamweight Bout: Karol Rosa vs. Alin Pérez
- Bantamweight Bout: Rinya Nakamura vs. Rinya Nakamura Muin Gafurov
- Bantamweight Bout: Ricky Turcios vs. Benardo Sopaj
- Flyweight Bout: (11) Tagir Ulanbekov vs. Clayton Carpenter
UFC 311 Fights You’ll Want to See
205 Live
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 16: (L-R) Opponents Jiri Prochazka of the Czech Republic and Jamahal … [+] Hill face off during the UFC 311 press conference at Intuit Dome on January 16, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC)
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-Two former UFC light heavyweight champions Jiří Procházka and Jamahal Hill will clash in a hugely important fight. The winner stays in the mix for another shot at Alex Pereira and the light heavyweight title.
Procházka has already lost to Pereira twice, and Hill has felt Poatan’s wrath once. In any case, this one could become the Fight of the Night.
Reinier de Ridder’s Second UFC Bout
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 16: (L-R) Opponents Kevin Holland and Reinier de Ridder of The … [+] Netherlands face off during the UFC 311 press conference at Intuit Dome on January 16, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
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Former ONE Championship two-division champion Reinier de Ridder makes his second Octagon walk as he faces Kevin Holland. RDR has not tried to hide his game plan for Holland.
He’s planning to take Holland down and look to submit him. Holland hits like a ton of bricks, but his takedown defense has been a bit faulty. A win for RDR might give him a ranking at middleweight. A loss would severely cripple his chances of rising to a championship level in the UFC.
The Prelims are Very Strong
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 15: Payton Talbott poses for a portrait during a UFC photo … [+] session on January 15, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
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Jailton Almeida is a real threat at heavyweight. He will take on Serghei Spivac. Many don’t like Almeida’s fighting style, but he arguably has the best Jiu-Jitsu of anyone in the heavyweight division.
It’ll be interesting to see what he can do with Spivac. Also, fast-rising prospect Payton Talbott will get his stiffest test as he faces Raoni Barcelos. Be on the lookout for post-event coverage on Saturday night.
