UFC 311 has lost one of its headliners.
During Friday’s official weigh-ins, UFC CEO Dana White revealed on Instagram revealed that Tsarukyan was pulled from his lightweight championship rematch with Islam Makhachev on Saturday’s pay-per-view at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif., due to a back injury.
Tsarukyan’s hope to avenge his first UFC debut loss to Makhachev will have to wait, as Makhachev won a decision in their initial meeting in 2019. Since then, Tsarukyan has risen up the ranks of the lightweight division, earning his first championship opportunity following a decision win over former titleholder Charles Oliveira at UFC 300 this past April.
-Makhachev now faces Renato Moicano in the brand new main event. Moicano was slated to face Beneil Dariush in a main card lightweight matchup on the card, but with Tsarukyan’s injury, “Money” gets his first opportunity to fight for UFC gold on Saturday.
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