The UFC 311 card has changed quite a bit in 24 hours, but everyone on the card successfully made weight. We have a new main event and one fighter who made weight is now off the card.
Here is a look at the weigh-in results.
UFC 311 MAIN CARD
- Main Event – Lightweight Title Bout: Islam Makhachev (154.5) vs. Renato Moicano (155)
- Co-Main Event – Bantamweight Title Bout: Merab Dvalishvili (134) vs. Umar Nurmagomedov (135)
- Light Heavyweight Bout: Jiří Procházka (204.5) vs. Jamahal Hill (205.5)
- Middleweight Bout: Kevin Holland (183.5) vs. Reinier de Ridder (184.5)
UFC 311 PRELIMS
- Bantamweight Bout: Payton Talbott (134.5) vs. Raoni Barcelos (135.5)
- Heavyweight Bout: Jailton Almeida (235) vs. Serghei Spivac (233)
- Light Heavyweight Bout: Bogdan Guskov (205.5) vs. Billy Elekana (200)
- Lightweight Bout: Grant Dawson (156) vs. Diego Ferreira (156)
UFC 311 EARLY PRELIMS
- Middleweight Bout: Zachary Reese (185.5) vs. Azamat Bekoev (185.5)
- Women’s Bantamweight Bout: Karol Rosa (135.5) vs. Ailín Pérez (135)
- Bantamweight Bout: Rinya Nakamura (135.5) vs. Muin Gafurov (136)
- Bantamweight Bout: Ricky Turcios (136) vs. Bernardo Sopaj (135)
- Flyweight Bout: Tagir Ulanbekov (125.5) vs. Clayton Carpenter (125.5)
Renato Moicano has replaced the injured Arman Tsarukyan in the main event against UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.
This fight will be Moicano’s first chance to win a UFC championship. Originally, Moicano was supposed to face No. 9 Beneil Dariush, but when Tsarukyan pulled out, UFC President Dana White and company went looking for replacements.
According to White, it sounds like Moicano was the best choice when you consider convenience (he was already on the card and on weight as an alternate) and his fanbase.
“There were lots of options, but the best-case scenario was a guy that was already on the card, already in shape, already made weight, and had a training camp,” White said via the UFC 311 weigh-in show. “When you really look at it, at the press conference yesterday, who better than Moicano to step up and take this opportunity?”
What Happens to Dariush?
White said, “We’ll take care of Beneil; we’ll get it figured out.” Dariush also confirmed that the UFC is taking care of him. Dariush is ranked one slot higher than Moicano, but he doesn’t have a personality that is as magnetic as Moicano.
Dariush is also leaning toward retirement pretty soon. Those factors might also have been factors in choosing Moicano.
Moicano’s Challenge
Moicano presents a different challenge than Tsarukyan for Makhachev. Moicano doesn’t have the same level of pure wrestling, but he is a seasoned grappler with excellent boxing.
The fight will likely be determined by whether Moicano can handle Makhachev’s wrestling. If he is overwhelmed in that aspect of the fight, it could be one-sided. If Moicano can keep the fight standing, he’ll have a chance to pull off a massive upset.
According to BetOnline, Makhachev is a -900 favorite, while Moicano is a +600 underdog. Stay tuned for post-event coverage.
