(All stats according to UFC’s Record Book as of January 15, 2025, and only include active athletes in their respective division unless noted otherwise)
Main Event: Islam Makhachev vs Arman Tsarukyan
Islam Makhachev
Key Stats: 7 submissions (tied 3rd all-time among LW), 90.9% takedown defense (3rd all-time among LW), 4 title fight wins (tied 1st all-time among LW)
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What It Means: Makhachev is a suffocating and discouraging puzzle to solve. His first and main attack is his grappling. He has every sort of takedown in his locker, but he is particularly dangerous when he gets his arms wrapped around his opponent and can attack with trips, throws and other tactics to get his foe on the ground. He likes to attack D’Arce chokes and arm triangles, both of which he can work to methodically or find in a scramble. He is an underrated and economic striker, as well, showing good timing and shot selection when on the feet.
Arman Tsarukyan
Key Stats: +1.95 striking differential (9th all-time among LW), 40.6% control time percentage (9th), 1.84 strikes absorbed per minute (3rd)

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What It Means: Tsarukyan looks, moves and performs like a natural fighter. In every element of mixed martial arts, he has polish, confidence and the skills to match. His best skill, however, is his grappling. He has great timing on takedowns and is quite explosive. From there, he can drop punishing ground-and-pound or work diligently for submissions.
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What to Look For in the Fight: While these two fought nearly six years ago, they’ve both advanced their game tenfold in the half-decade in between matchups. Makhachev, while still a grappler through and through, has seen his fair share of success on the feet against the likes of Alexander Volkanovski and Dustin Poirier while Tsarukyan seems to improve leaps and bounds each time he makes the walk to the Octagon. Their first matchup consisted of a handful of fascinating scrambles on the mat, and one could figure they’d engage in the same sort of fight on January 18. Their confidence in the striking department has developed as well, and Tsarukyan might have the speed advantage to go along with a more diverse attack, but Makhachev’s timing and instincts, as well as his ability to blend the skills together make him a problem in all realms.
Co-Main Event: Merab Dvalishvili vs Umar Nurmagomedov
Merab Dvalishvili
Key Stats: 85 takedowns landed (2nd all-time), 1,950 total strikes landed (1st all-time among BW), 38.1% control time percentage (9th all-time among BW)

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What It Means: Few fighters have a nickname more apt than Dvalishvili’s moniker. “The Machine” is a nonstop, in-your-face style of fighter who seems to pinpoint the ways to make his opponent the most miserable in the Octagon. Although Dvalisvhili has confidence in his standup game — something his pace, cardio and wrestling greatly aid — the bantamweight champion knows his best attack comes in the form of an exhaustive grappling attack. While Dvalishvili might not get the takedown on his first shot, he does well to chain his attacks together before settling into a spot of control.
Umar Nurmagomedov
Key Stats: +3.1 striking differential (7th all-time), 44.5% control time percentage (3rd all-time among BW), 54.6% takedown accuracy (7th all-time among BW)
What It Means: In every aspect, Nurmagomedov is an excellent mixed martial artist. His top skillset is grappling, but his striking attack makes him a unique problem in the Octagon. Nurmagomedov likes to stand quite bladed and tends to utilize his lead leg for distance strikes a bit. His wrestling, on the other hand, is fundamentally spectacular, and he has a keen sense of timing and leverage when attacking his foes on the mat.
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What to Look For in the Fight: Skill-for-skill, Nurmagomedov is the toughest test for Dvalishvili at present. The undefeated Nurmagomedov will have to deal with Dvalishvili’s pace and pressure on the top, and he’d do well to put something out there to stymie the Georgian for a moment. On the feet, Nurmagomedov will have the occasional chance to hit Dvalishvili because of the champion’s forward-at-all-costs style, but his takedown defense and get-up ability will undoubtedly get tested. The same goes for Dvalishvili, who has passed tough grapplers in the past and has leaned on his grit, will and strength to push him past adversity and into throne-sitting status.
Other Fights to Watch (Jiří Procházka vs Jamahal Hill, Beneil Dariush vs Renato Moicano)
Jiří Procházka
Key Stats: 55.1% significant strike accuracy (8th all-time among LHW), 5.38 strikes landed per minute (9th all-time among LHW), 5.59 strikes absorbed per minute
What It Means: The former light heavyweight champion is unique in every respect. He is long, athletic, unorthodox and powerful. His striking approach is a bit mystifying. Although he has a good sense of distance and timing, Procházka prefers to fight with his hands down, relying on head movement and athleticism to evade or roll with shots while making his own reads. Once he does get his timing down, he has a wide array of attacks. He likes to feint low and come high with uppercuts or flying knees, but he is just as effective when he keeps it simple, countering at awkward angles that rock opponents.
Jamahal Hill
Key Stats: +3.4 striking differential (4th all-time), 6.85 strikes landed per minute (2nd all-time among LHW), 52.8% significant strike accuracy (10th)
What It Means: Calling Jamahal Hill a brawler would be a disservice of his skills. Rather, the former champion and evergreen knockout artist just needs an opportunity to land a clean shot to get going. Hill has great power in his hands, and his boxing is pretty smooth. He likes to stay long until he uncorks a power shot, but he does well to mix knees into his combinations. When he wants to sit back and counter, “Sweet Dreams” possesses a nasty check hook.
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What to Look For in the Fight: Although both fighters have shown ability to wrestle, this fight should take place almost exclusively on the feet. Neither is the most conventional striker, but Hill would do well to press forward and crowd Procházka to take away his kicks and creativity. Procházka is susceptible to low leg kicks, so Hill should fire those early and often to limit Procházka’s movement. On the other hand, Procházka should have the advantage if he can keep Hill at a distance and dictate the terms of engagement. The fight could also start cautiously as they are both coming off losses and are desperate to get another chance at UFC gold.
Beneil Dariush
Key Stats: 40.3% control time percentage (10th), 7 knockdowns landed (tied 6th), 5 submission wins (tied 6th)
What It Means: Dariush is a lethal fighter, although from his stance and posture, you might underestimate the veteran’s threats. Although his most dangerous asset is his grappling, particularly his submission ability, Dariush has some lethal power in his hands. He stands sort of flat-footed and can, at times, have a herky-jerky style, but he can end a fight in a blink with a submission or punch.
Renato Moicano
Key Stats: 54.1% control time percentage (6th all-time among LW), 45.2% takedown accuracy (8th), 54.8% significant strike accuracy (9th)
What It Means: “Money Moicano” has unlocked something, not only when he started giving brash post-fight interviews, but also when he moved up to the lightweight division. Moicano’s best weapon is his jiu jitsu and overall grappling, but he also has a grit and toughness that make him exhausting for an opponent. His striking is solid enough for his opponents to respect the threats coming their way, but his usual path to victory comes through pressuring his opponents, getting them to the ground and threatening submissions.
What to Look For in the Fight: This matchup is quite even on paper. Dariush should have the grappling to stymie Moicano as well as the power on the feet to put Moicano in dangerous positions, but Moicano’s toughness and ability to recover quickly will force Dariush to dig deep as well. Neither man can afford to shoot sloppy takedowns — they both possess submissions skills set to punish a wayward shot.
UFC 311: Makhachev vs Moicano took place live from Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California on January 18, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!