The mixed martial arts leader is set to open its pay-per-view schedule for 2025 in style, having confirmed championship defenses for both Islam Makhachev and Merab Dvalishvili for UFC 311.
Octagon action will head to Los Angeles for the first numbered event of the new year, with the new Intuit Dome playing host to a lineup that already looks likely to be among the most stacked across the next 12 months.
And following additions like Jiří Procházka vs. Jamahal Hill and Reinier de Ridder vs. Kevin Holland, as well as returns for Jailton Almeida and Johnny Walker, a pair of blockbuster headliners are now official.
UFC CEO Dana White took to social media this week to confirm that the long-rumored rematch between Makhachev (26-1) and Arman Tsarukyan (22-3) for the lightweight gold will indeed headline the event on Jan. 18.
And despite his callout of other contenders, bantamweight king Dvalishvili (18-4) will put his belt on the line against the undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov (18-0), who looks to set the stage for his stablemate’s defense in the final fight of the night by adding to the team’s trophy cabinet.
Makhachev has recorded three defenses since defeating Charles Oliveira to achieve champ status. After back-to-back wins over Alexander Volkanovski in 2023, the Dagestani most recently turned back the challenge of Dustin Poirier. Makhachev is now set to run it back with a charging contender whom he narrowly outpointed back in 2019. Tsarukyan enters his first title shot riding momentum from a triumph over Oliveira at UFC 300.
Dvalishvili, meanwhile, will be making his first defense at UFC 311, five months on from his victory over Sean O’Malley at the Sphere. That result extended his winning run to 11 straight fights and followed success opposite former champions Petr Yan and Henry Cejudo. Nurmagomedov, on the other hand, is yet to taste defeat inside the cage. The Russian most recently staked his claim for a championship opportunity by getting the better of the highly regarded Cory Sandhagen across five rounds in Abu Dhabi.
With these additions, the current fights expected to take place at UFC 311 in Los Angeles on Jan. 18 are as follows:
- Islam Makhachev (C) vs. Arman Tsarukyan (lightweight championship)
- Merab Dvalishvili (C) vs. Umar Nurmagomedov (bantamweight championship)
- Jiří Procházka vs. Jamahal Hill (light heavyweight)
- Reinier de Ridder vs. Kevin Holland (middleweight)
- Jailton Almeida vs. Serghei Spivac (heavyweight)
- Rinya Nakamura vs. Muin Gafarov (bantamweight)
- Johnny Walker vs. Bogdan Guskov (light heavyweight)
- Karol Rosa vs. Ailín Pérez (women’s bantamweight)
- Zachary Reese vs. Sedriques Dumas (middleweight)
- Payton Talbott vs. Raoni Barcelos (bantamweight)
- Grant Dawson vs. Diego Ferreira (lightweight)
- Ricky Turcios vs. Benardo Sopaj (bantamweight)
