Islam Makhachev v Arman Tsarukyan 2 headlines UFC 311 as Dana White announces two huge title fights for January card
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Published 05/12/2024 at 10:55 GMT
Dana White has announced that two huge title fights will feature on the UFC 311 card on January 18, 2025. A rematch between lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan will headline the event, while Merab Dvalishvili will defend his bantamweight belt against Umar Nurmagomedov. Before that, Alexandre Pantoja faces Kai Asakura at UFC 310, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
‘Showing all the heart’ - Islam Makhachev submits Dustin Poirier in fifth round
Video credit: TNT Sports
The UFC has announced two huge title fights on a scintillating UFC 311 card, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
Headlining UFC 311 on January 18 in Los Angeles is a rematch between lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan, while Merab Dvalishvili will defend his bantamweight belt against Umar Nurmagomedov in the co-main event.
The first fight between Makhachev and Tsarukyan in 2019 was a Fight of the Night winner which Makhachev won via a unanimous decision. He has since won nine straight fights.
"Makhachev has defeated every opponent he has faced for almost a decade and is on a 14-fight win streak," said UFC president Dana White.
"His last four wins have all come in title bouts over former world champions, with seven of his last eight coming by finish.
"Tsarukyan has an impressive record of 22-3 and is coming off a win over former champion Charles Oliveira and a performance of the night win over Beneil Dariush.
"This is a rematch from 2019 and since that time, both of these guys have a combined record of 18-1 – this is such a bad-ass main event."
While Makhachev was expected to defend his 155lb belt against Tsarukyan in January, White says the co-main event between Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov came together very quickly.
"Merab came into the office late last night [and] told us that he is tired of listening to Umar disrespect him and wanted to make this fight happen as soon as possible," said White.
"We called Umar, he was sleeping in Dagestan and he said, ‘Hell yes, anywhere, anytime’."
Dvalishvili won the belt with a dominant unanimous decision victory over Sean O’Malley at UFC 306 in September and is currently on an 11-fight win streak.
Nurmagomedov is 18-0 in his career and beat Cory Sandhagen by unanimous decision when he last fought in August.
Dvalishvili had been targeting March for his return to the Octagon, but that would have ruled out Nurmagomedov with Ramadan starting the same month.
Before UFC 311, Alexandre Pantoja takes on Japanese superstar Kai Asakura to round out 2024 at UFC 310, live on TNT Sports and discovery+ on December 7.
HOW TO WATCH UFC 310 ON DISCOVERY+
UFC 310: Pantoja vs Asakura will be live on TNT Sports 2 via discovery+, with coverage from the preliminary fights starting at 01:00 AM (UK time).
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