1/18/25: Arman Tsarukyan Exits UFC 311 Main Event, Renato Moicano Steps In
Also: Chris Weidman announces retirement from UFC
Welcome to a Saturday edition of the Knockdown Daily! Today’s issue includes some big news regarding tonight’s UFC 311 card, a preview of the show, plus some other developments from around the sport. Let’s dig in.
Injury Takes Arman Tsarukyan Off UFC 311, Islam Makhachev Gets New Short-Notice Opponent
UFC 311 received a massive blow on Friday afternoon.
An injury forced Arman Tsarukyan out of his main event tilt against UFC Lightweight Champion and pound-for-pound top MMA fighter Islam Makhachev, as announced Friday.
UFC was quick to pivot and find a Plan B for its main event, lining Makhachev up for a new title fight with a little over 24 hours to prepare. With Tsarukyan unavailable, the long-time 155-pound king will now meet Brazilian contender Renato Moicano on Saturday night from the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California, USA, per UFC CEO Dana White.
Tsarukyan wrote Friday that a back injury caused him to withdraw from his long-awaited rematch against Makhachev.
“I regret to inform everyone that the news is that I had to pull out of UFC 311 with a back injury is true,” he wrote on Instagram. “This was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make in my fighting career. I would like to thank the UFC for understanding and I look forward to competing for my first UFC Championship in the future. Thank you all for your support.”
Saturday night was expected to be Tsarukyan’s first-ever title fight, an opportunity he spent years grinding away to earn. Tsarukyan was initially given the shot for this weekend following an incredibly long climb up the standings, winning nine of his past 10 fights since 2019 and beating highly valued names like Beneil Dariush and Charles Oliveira.
The Armenian stand-out’s now-previously expected appearance on Saturday was also set to be a rematch against Makhachev that was years in the making. The duo first met back in April 2019, with Tsarukyan losing a competitive decision in his UFC debut against the now-champ.
Instead, Saturday night will now see Moicano look to pull off a massive upset victory.
Moicano, UFC’s 10th-ranked lightweight, was originally expected to face Beneil Dariush on Saturday night. He must now prepare on short notice for a five-round fight against the sport’s toughest name at the moment.
“Hey guess what I will be world champion tomorrow!” Moicano said on social media following the news of his main event upgrade. “God is so good! Thank you all for the support.”
Moicano has put together some momentum over the past year, extending his winning streak to four in a row with victories over respected names like Benoit Saint-Denis and Drew Dober. The last time Moicano had a longer streak of wins dates back to the very start of his UFC career in 2014.
Despite his recent success, analysis from experts shows that the fighters are still viewed as worlds apart skill-wise. Early lines set by oddsmakers see Moicano as high as a +600 underdog.
Makhachev will become the only lightweight champion in UFC history to defend their belt four times or more if successful on Saturday. His short-notice booking will be following up previous appearances in the reign which saw him submit Dustin Poirier, beat Alexander Volaknovski in a pair of 2023 meetings, and tap out Charles Oliveira in 2022.
Saturday’s co-main event—a bantamweight title fight between Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov—was without drama on weigh-in day, with both fighters coming within the 135-pound limit.
Former Middleweight Champion Chris Weidman Announces Retirement From UFC
Chris Weidman, the man who infamously put an end to the dominating era of Anderson Silva at middleweight, has announced his retirement from being a UFC fighter.
The former UFC Middleweight Champion, 40, revealed the end of his career during the UFC 311 Weigh-In Show on Friday.
“Since I decided to get into this sport, since 2009, the goal was to be a UFC fighter,” Weidman said. “Then, immediately, the goal was to be a UFC world champion. 14 years later, I’m here to tell you guys I’m hanging up the gloves in the UFC. I’m no longer going to be fighting for the organization [where] I changed my life in so many ways. I’m super appreciative to everybody that got me here.”
Weidman took to MMA in the late 2000s after a career in wrestling saw him attain NCAA All-American status twice. He had a short run on the regional scene before inking a UFC contract, earning a middleweight belt in regional New Jersey promotion Ring of Combat.
Despite entering the UFC roster with the experience of just four pro wins, Weidman would continue to succeed. He strung together a streak of five victories in the promotion, beating names like Demian Maia and Mark Munoz and putting him next in line for a title shot by 2013.
Arguably the most iconic moment of Weidman’s career came at UFC 162 when he ended the historic 2,457-day middleweight title run of Silva in storybook fashion. Capitalizing on a boastful and easy-going fighting style from Silva—who was considered a massive favorite to win the fight—Weidman blasted the champ with a left hook in the second round, earning him the middleweight championship.
Weidman would go on to hold the title for the next two years, a reign which remains the third-longest in middleweight history. He beat former champ Silva in a rematch later that year, with a severe injury from a leg kick causing Silva to exit the fight in the second round once again. He later also got past Vitor Belfort via a first-round finish and beat Lyoto Machida on scorecards.
The middleweight reign of Weidman would come to a close by 2015 when Luke Rockhold stopped him in the fourth round at UFC 194.
Weidman struggled in the post-championship years of his career, winning in just three of his last 10 pro appearances. The late years of his run in the UFC saw him make an impressive comeback at one point, returning in 2023 after a broken leg kept him on the sidelines for over two years.
In his last appearance, a December matchup against Eryk Anders, Weidman was stopped in the second round with ground and pound.
“It’s been a ride,” Weidman said on Friday. “From being an undefeated world champion and being able to beat one of the greatest of all time in Anderson Silva, and then being able to defend my belt three times against some of the greatest legends of the sport. Even from the amount I’ve learned about myself, dealing with adversity, injuries, I had 30 surgeries. I put my body through a lot, and to be able to overcome that, it’s always tough. I’m just proud that the UFC gave me an outlet to compete against some of the best guys in the world.”
Preview
Renato Moicano Looks To Secure Early ‘Upset of the Year’ Contender Against Islam Makhachev
MMA can be a cruel sport.
Arman Tsarukyan spent years climbing toward a shot at Islam Makhachev. In a division as competitive as lightweight, it took him nine wins through 10 appearances to finally get a chance against the division’s champ.
Then, just a couple of days before his opportunity to finally take the belt could be realized, Tsarukyan tweaked his back. While on a stationary bike—trying to shed off the final pounds before Friday morning’s weigh-ins—Tsarukyan was suddenly hurt, per Manouk Akopyan. And just like that, his title dreams vanished.
But the UFC, which can, to a fault, carry an attitude of “The show must go on,” wasn’t going to let Makhachev leave this weekend without a fight.
By Friday morning, it was decided that Makhachev would instead face Renato Moicano, a lightweight who has been on a roll lately but has been nowhere near the title picture.
The matchup means that Tsarukyan, while still the top contender for a title shot, will likely have to wait quite sometime before the matchup is once again booked. It also means that, while the odds are incredibly slim that Makhachev could lose, it’s possible that a title chance could occur before he fights for the belt.
At +600, Moicano would pull off an all-timer upset with a win on Saturday. While Moicano has proved to be impressive in recent fights—forcing a doctor stoppage against Benoit Saint-Denis in September and stopping Jalin Turner as part of UFC 300—he has not faced anyone near the level of Makhachev.
The title fight comes at a time of career resurgence for 35-year-old Moicano: Although he has spent more than a decade on the UFC roster, a mix of consistent results and a flexing of his newfound outspokenness have put a larger spotlight than ever on him. Oddsmakers see it as a longshot, but a title win on Saturday would no doubt be coming at a perfect time for Moicano.
For Makhachev, there isn’t too much to gain this weekend. Sure, he could break records—namely becoming the only lightweight champ to defend their title four times—but nothing about this specific matchup is entirely intriguing from his side. There’s undoubtedly less prestige and storyline than his fight with Tsarukyan, but there is importantly a paycheck and another title victory.
Lost in the mix of all the drama from Friday is a title fight co-main event that is still entirely intact. Appearing for the first time since he could begin calling himself UFC Bantamweight Champion, Merab Dvalishvili will meet Umar Nurmagomedov.
Dvalishvili finds himself in the rare position of a defending champ who is entering fight night as a moderate underdog. At +225, bookies think that Dvalishvili will become the third bantamweight champ in UFC history to drop their belt before successfully defending it once.
Dvalishvili earned his title in September against Sean O’Malley, countering the striker with wrestling to take the nod on scorecards. But now he meets a fighter in Nurmagomedov who not only has good wrestling chops but also skills on the feet as well.
Nurmagomedov’s well-rounded skillset has earned him 18 wins as a pro, including six inside the UFC cage. His most recent fight was easily his biggest to date, going five rounds against Cory Sandhagen for a decision nod and showing that he is ready for a big challenge in the division.
While pound-for-pound top lightweight Makhachev remains atop the lineup, there’s Saturday’s co-main event is definitely the better title fight of the evening. Dvalishvili could continue his run and settle into his champ status further, but he’ll have to get past an incredibly tough test first - one that many don’t see that he could overcome.
Saturday’s main card is full of recognizable names for even the casual viewer. In the final fight before the title clashes, former light heavyweight champs Jiri Prochazka and Jamahal Hill will square off. Earlier in the night, former ONE champ Reinier de Ridder will meet UFC vet and fan favorite Kevin Holland.
The prelims have a solid selection of prospects, for those who like to watch up-and-coming names. The featured fight of the TV portion will see bantamweight super-prospect Payton Talbott return against Raoni Barcelos, aiming to follow up on his 19-second win from June. Notable fighters lower on the card include former LFA champ Azamat Bekoev, “Road To UFC” winner Rinya Nakamura, light heavyweight finisher Bogdan Guskov, and returning flyweight contender Tagir Ulanbekov.
Here’s the updated bout order following Friday’s changes:
Main Card (10:00PM EST / 7:00PM PST) (PPV)
Bout 13: Islam Makhachev (26-1) vs. Renato Moicano (20-5-1) (UFC Lightweight Championship)
Bout 12: Merab Dvalishvili (18-4) vs. Umar Nurmagomedov (18-0) (UFC Bantamweight Championship)
Bout 11: Jiri Prochazka (30-5-1) vs. Jamahal Hill (12-2) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 10: Jailton Almeida (21-3) vs. Serghei Spivac (17-4) (Heavyweight)
Bout 9: Kevin Holland (26-12) vs. Reinier de Ridder (18-2) (Middleweight)
Preliminary Card (8:00PM EST / 5:00PM PST) (ESPNews / ESPN+)
Bout 8: Payton Talbott (9-0) vs. Raoni Barcelos (18-5) (Bantamweight)
Bout 7: Zach Reese (8-1) vs. Azamat Bekoev (18-3) (Middleweight)
Bout 6: Bogdan Guskov (16-3) vs. Billy Elekana (7-1) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 5: Grant Dawson (22-2-1) vs. Diego Ferreira (19-5) (Lightweight)
Early Prelims (6:00PM EST / 3:00PM PST) (ESPN+ / UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 4: Karol Rosa (18-6) vs. Ailin Perez (11-2) (Bantamweight)
Bout 3: Rinya Nakamura (9-0) vs. Muin Gafurov (19-6) (Bantamweight)
Bout 2: Ricky Turcios (12-4) vs. Bernardo Sopaj (11-3) (Bantamweight)
Bout 1: Tagir Ulanbekov (15-3) vs. Clayton Carpenter (8-0) (Flyweight)
Notes On: UFC, PFL, KSW & Cage Warriors
UFC
Clay Guida (38-25), the fourth-most experienced fighter in UFC history, has parted ways with the promotion, per Damon Martin of MMA Fighting. Guida first joined the UFC back in 2006 and went on to compete a total of 37 times. Past wins include fights against Nate Diaz, Rafael dos Anjos, Takanori Gomi, Anthony Pettis, and Tatsuya Kawajiri. The 43-year-old won just one of his past five fights, with a late-2024 armbar loss to Chase Hooper being his third consecutive defeat.
A Dublin judge has ruled that Conor McGregor cannot release CCTV footage used from the recent civil trial against him, where he was found liable for a 2018 alleged instance of sexual assault. Judge Alexander Owens said that releasing the footage would be “civil contempt of court” and a “gross breach of Ms. Hand’s right to privacy,” per the Irish Mirror. A stay on the full 248,000 Euro that McGregor owes Hand due to the case has been granted, as McGregor will be appealing the case. However, Judge Owens ordered that at least 100,000 Euro be paid for now, plus 200,000 of the more than 1 million in legal costs.
PFL
Kai Kamaka III (14-6-1) is the latest to join a growing list of PFL talents who want out of their contracts. “PFL doesn’t respect or value any of their fighters,” Kamaka said on Friday. “I’m done being quiet about it. Let me go too. You want to strip us of our dignity imprison us to your ever changing terms and drown our future potential. Let me go. I don’t ever want to wear your gloves again.” Kamaka III fought as part of the featherweight division in 2024, winning twice in the regular season before being eliminated in the playoffs by Brendan Loughnane.
KSW
KSW will crown an interim middleweight champ at their March 8th show, with Piotr Kuberski (15-1) and Tomasz Romanowski (18-10) meeting for the vacant title. Kuberski, a former FEN champ, has scored a trio of finish victories since entering KSW in late 2023, including one late last year over former title challenger Damian Janikowski. Romanowski, a 12-fight KSW vet, will be looking for a road to a second fight against main middleweight champ Pawel Pawlak. He lost his first fight against Pawlak in 2023, getting stopped in the fifth round for the promotion’s then-vacant 185-pound title. His most recent fight was a decision defeat against Damian Janikowski.
Cage Warriors
Two title fights have joined the Cage Warriors schedule:
Italy’s Alessandro Giordano (9-3) will get a chance to earn gold when he faces bantamweight champ Liam Gittins (13-4) at the promotion’s March 8th show in Rome, Italy. Giordano is receiving a title shot after a highly successful 2024 on the regional scene: He scored a trio of victories last year, including a third-round submission against former Cage Warriors champ Michele Martignoni. Gittins defended his title for the first time last March, submitting U.S. prospect Roberto Hernandez in the fifth round to close out a strong performance.
Harry Hardwick (12-3-1) will put his featherweight title on the line against Javier Garcia (12-5) at Cage Warriors 186 from London, England on March 21st. Hardwick earned a pair of finish wins in title fights last year, capturing the belt with a second-round finish of Orlando Wilson Prins, then coming back to beat Brazilian prospect Keweny Lopes via stoppage in November. Overall, Hardwick hasn’t lost in his last eight fights. Garcia, a former LFA prospect, has strung together four wins since 2022, including a pair of wins from 2024. He briefly held an LFA title in 2023 after submitting Elijah Johns, but had the result overturned to a loss following a failed drug test.