INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Islam Makhachev retained his lightweight title with a first-round submission against Renato Moicano on Saturday night in the main event of UFC 311 at the Intuit Dome.
After being dropped briefly by a right hand in the round, Makhachev (27-1) put Moicano on his back. As the challenger scrambled, Makhachev snatched a D’Arce choke and swiftly tightened the grip. With nowhere to go, Moicano was forced to tap out at the 4:05 mark.
Moicano (20-6-1) — who was originally slated to fight Beneil Dariush at UFC 311 — was pushed into the world title opportunity on a day’s notice when Arman Tsarukyan was forced on due to a back injury suffered on Thursday evening during his weight cut.
It was not an unfamiliar situation for Makhachev, who fought Alexander Volkanovski on 11 days’ notice after Charles Oliveira pulled out of UFC 294 with an injury. The same could be said for Moicano, who lost to Rafael dos Anjos on four days’ notice at a catchweight of 160 pounds in 2022.
-Moicano was installed as an understandably massive betting underdog against Makhachev, and the champion proved why he’s the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
With the win, Makhachev extended his winning streak to 15, tied with Kamaru Usman for the longest in UFC history. His current lightweight reign of 819 days is second only to his coach Khabib Nurmagomedov’s 1,077 days.
Makhachev’s fifth title fight win also broke a four-way tie with Benson Henderson, BJ Penn and Nurmagomedov for the most in lightweight title fight history.
Belgium
Related News :