The stories behind UFC 311’s biggest fights

LAS VEGAS: Renato Moicano will be stepping in as Arman Tsarukyan’s replacement to face Islam Makhachev at UFC 311 after the title challenger succumbed to a back injury.

While its not the fight the fans were looking forward to, its not one they should overlook either. And neither are the two fights before the main event. Each of the three have quite the story behind them.

Here’s what you need to know before the fighters enter the octagon at UFC 311.

Makhachev vs Moicano

Moicano is no stranger to stepping in last minute. Back in March of 2022, he saved the co-main event of UFC 272 after Rafael Fiziev was forced to withdraw due to a positive COVID test. He ended up losing that fight via unanimous decision, however, since then, the 35-year-old has gone on a four fight win streak, taking down Brad Riddell, Drew Dober, Jalin Turner, and Benoit Saint Denis.

He now finds himself ranked 10th in the UFC lightweight rankings. Moicano was set to take part in the co-main event of UFC 311, a bout in which he would have faced Beneil Dariush.

Now, instead of Dariush, the Brazillian findshimself with the opportunity to take down the pound for pound best MMA fighter in the world. But, the odds are stacked against him. Since winning the title in October 2022 by submitting then Champion Charles Oliveria with an arm triangle, Makhachev has gone on to tie the record for most lightweight title defences. He now findsheldf in the company of a few other lightweight legends, including training partner and long-time friend, Khabib Nurmagomedov.

The former pound for pound number one fighter in the UFC, Alexander Volkanovski, fell twice to Makhachev, the second instance being the definitive Knockout that the Dagestani was hoping for. His latest victory was against future hall-of-famer and lightweight mainstay Dustin Poirier.

If Makhachev wins on Saturday night (Sunday morning in Pakistan) then he will stand alone as the man with the most title defences in lightwierght history, with four.

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Merab Dvalishvili vs Umar Nurmagomedov

Not to long ago, Dvalishvili was stuck in limbo. Despite being the clear number one contender, his good frined and training partner Aljamain Sterling was the bantamweight champion. And it felt like Sterling would stay the king for quite a while, considering he broke the record for most consecutive bantamweight title defences with three, taking down Petr Yan, T.J. Dillashaw, and Henry Cejudo along the way.

However, everything changed with one punch from Sean O’Malley, which knocked Sterling down to the canvas in August 2023 before a flurry of strikes stripped him of the belt. There was no longer a reason for Dvalishvili to take a back seat.

In September 2024, the Georgian wrestler got his chance. And he made the most of it, showcasing his wrestling calibre by dominating all five rounds, earning a unanimous decision victory.

Dvalishvili was finally champion. Unfortunately for him, his first defence is against arguably the largest threat in the division, Umar Nurmagomedov. The Dagestani fighter has 18 fights to his name, all of which he has won. His last fight saw him earn a unanimous decision victory over long-time contender Cory Sandhagen. So far, in the six fights he has had in the UFC, Umar has showed no weakness.

Will Dvalishvili successfully defend his title at UFC 311, or is Umar’s reign inevitable?

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Jiri Prochazka vs Jamahal Hill

The light-heavyweight division has been a precarious one to say the least. It has seen its fair share of champions, as the belt was passed around for quite a while, before Alex Pereira put an end to it.

Prochazka and Hill were two fo the fighters who got their hands on the belt during that span. Both took the crown by defeating Glover Teixeira. And both had to concede their position due to injury. Prochazka suffered a horrible shoulder injury while training for UFC 282, and was side-lined indefinitely, forcing him to give up his title.

In came Hill, and as if by cruel fate, after beating Teixeira for the then vacant title, ruptured his Achilles tendon. Like Prochazka, he too vacated the title.

However, former champion Prochazka had recovered from his injury and found himself in a bout for the vacant title. His opponent? The former middleweight champion, striving to conquer another division. The man with arguably the most power in UFC history, Alex Pereira.

Just like many fans predicted, Pereira won by Knockout. Next up on the newly crowned two division champion’s chopping block was the freshly recovered Jamahal Hill. Periera won that bout too, in emphatic fashion, knocking out Hill at 3:14 in the first round.

Prochazka then got his chance at revenge, but still wasn’t able to find an answer for Pereira’s ridicoulous power. The Czech fighter was once again knocked out.

Despite their setbacks, both Hill and Prochazka still have their sights on the belt. The only person standing between them and another title shot is each other.

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