UFC 311 will be headlined by a lightweight title fight between current champion Islam Makhachev (26-3) taking on No. 10-ranked challenger Renato Moicano (20-5-1).
Makhachev was supposed to face No. 1-ranked challenger Arman Tsarukyan in a highly-anticipated rematch, but Tsarukyan sustained a back injury hours before the weigh-in Friday and was forced out of the fight.
Moicano stepped in on short notice because he was already on the card and originally set to face Beneil Dariush.
The pay-per-view card begins at 7 p.m. Cage walks for the title fight are expected to begin around 9 p.m.
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Merab Dvalishvili vs Umar Nurmagomedov title fight co-headlines UFC 311
UFC 311 will be co-headlined by bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili’s first title defense against Umar Nurmagomedov, a stablemate of Islam Makhachev, who is trained by his cousin, UFC icon Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Dvalishvili won the 135-belt by beating Sean O’Malley in September at the Sphere in Las Vegas. Despite the dominant win, Dvalishvili (18-4) is a +245 underdog against the No. 2-ranked challenger Nurmagomedov (18-0), a -305 favorite. Nurmagomedov is coming off of a five-round unanimous decision win against Cory Sandhagen in August.
Bad blood between Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov has been the dominant story line ahead of the fight, and the pair will finally settle their issues in the cage.
I caught up with both of the fighters during fight week for an interview.
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Tale of the tape between Islam Makhachev vs. Renato Moicano
Islam Makhachev
Nickname: None
Age: 33 (Oct. 27, 1991)
Record: 26-1 (5 KOs; 12 submissions)
Country: Republic of Dagestan
Team: Eagles MMA
Height: 5 feet 10 inches
Weight: 154.5 pounds
Stance: Southpaw
Reach: 70.5 inches
Significant wins: Dustin Poirier, Alexander Volkanovski (twice), Charles Oliveira, Dan Hooker, Arman Tsarukyan
Average fight time: 10:34
Strikes landed per minute: 2.65
Strikes absorbed per minute: 1.54
Takedown average per 15 minutes: 3.19
Takedown accuracy: 53.7%
Takedown defense accuracy: 90.9%
Submission average per 15 minutes: 1.06%
Renato Moicano
Nickname: “Money Moicano”
Age: 35 (May 21, 1989)
Record: 20-5-1 (2 KOs; 10 submissions)
Country: Brazil
Team: American Top Team
Height: 5 feet 11 inches
Weight: 155 pounds
Stance: Orthodox
Reach: 72 inches
Significant wins: Benoît Saint Denis, Jalin Turner, Drew Dober
Average fight time: 9:27
Strikes landed per minute: 4.42
Strikes absorbed per minute: 3.60
Takedown average per 15 minutes: 1.87
Takedown accuracy: 44.4%
Takedown defense accuracy: 72.7%
Submission average per 15 minutes: 0.56
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Islam Makhachev vs. Renato Moicano betting odds
DraftKings has Islam Makhachev listed as a -800 betting favorite and Renato Moicano as a +550 betting underdog.
Makhachev’s original opponent, Arman Tsarukyan, who was forced out of the fight on Friday because of a back injury, was originally slated a +300 underdog.
These are the near-closing betting odds for Makhachev’s title run in 2022.
- Makhachev -400 betting favorite; Dustin Poirier +300
- Makhachev -260 betting favorite; Alexander Volkanovski +210 — second fight
- Makhachev -380 betting favorite; Alexander Volkanovski +310 — first fight
- Makhachev -195 betting favorite; Charles Oliveira +170
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How to watch UFC 311: Islam Makhachev vs. Renato Moicano
UFC 311 takes place at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood on Saturday night.
Early prelims begin at 3 p.m. on ESPN+, FX and UFC Fight Pass. At 5 p.m., the action switches over to ESPN+ and ESPNews for more preliminary bouts.
The pay-per-view event begins at 7 p.m., and the card is available exclusively through ESPN+ — a separate ESPN+ subscription is required in order to purchase the event. Rates vary depending on standalone purchase and package bundles.
If you’re in the Southern California area, tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster.
The UFC website features a directory listing bars and restaurants nationwide that will be showing the event.