Author: Dan Hiergesell

Islam Makhachev extended his UFC unbeaten streak to 15 last night (Sat., Jan. 18, 2025) at UFC 311 live on ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV) from inside Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, Calif., defending his UFC lightweight title with a first-round submission (D’Arce choke) over short-notice replacement Renato Moicano.

Moicano came out firing and was willing to exchange every second of the way. Enough shots were coming through to get Makhachev’s attention so he finally changed levels and took “Money” down to the ground. Makhachev had a few minutes to work with to implement his world-class grappling.

“Money” defended off his back to start, but as he turned over and tried to return to his feet Makhachev was there to quickly grab a hold of a D’Arce choke. It was locked in tight. Makhachev turned over and Moicano’s body turned with him. A few seconds later and Moicano started tapping in panic.

Check out the video highlights below:

Makhachev, who was originally scheduled to rematch Arman Tsarukyan on Saturday night, now has four-straight UFC title defense to his name. Moicano was red-hot coming into UFC 311 and Makhachev made him look like an unranked fighter. It was sheer dominance yet again by the UFC lightweight champion and even more proof that he’s the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

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For complete UFC 311 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.

Merab Dvalishvili retained his UFC bantamweight title last night (Sat., Jan. 18, 2025) at UFC 311 live on ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV) from inside Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, Calif., knocking off the previously undefeated sensation Umar Nurmagomedov with an exciting unanimous decision.

Dvalishvili wasn’t able to use his wrestling in the first round, but he did well enough on the feet to make it an even affair. That was until Nurmagomedov clipped the champion with a right hand and briefly wobbled him. Nurmagomedov continued his offensive output early into the second round with an array of punches and kicks. The undefeated challenger then decided to change levels after a scramble along the cage and took Dvalishvili down. Dvalishvili would eventually return to his feet, but he was having trouble dealing with Nurmagomedov’s athleticism and speed.

Dvalishvili returned to form midway through the third round with a snapping takedown of the challenger. He followed it up with another takedown, but Nurmagomedov quickly transitioned on the way down and spoiled the champ’s brief momentum swing. Nurmagomedov did look tired on the stool entering the fourth round.

The champion gained full control of the fight in the fourth as he implemented more takedowns and kept the pressure up. Nurmagomedov looked completely spent, but was still firing back. Dvalishvili would not be denied, though, as he moved inside for yet another takedown. It was incredible to see, especially considering how durable we thought Nurmagomedov was.

Both bantamweights would land good shots on the feet in the fifth round, but Dvalishvili poured on more takedowns. The champion even clipped Nurmagomedov with a stiff right hand towards the end of the fight. In the end, it was Dvalishvili who walked away with the decision win with scores of 48–47, 48–47, and 49–46.

Check out the official scorecards below and let us know how you scored Dvalishvili vs. Nurmagomedov:

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For complete UFC 311 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.

Jiri Prochazka regained his status in the UFC’s light heavyweight division last night (Sat., Jan. 18, 2025) at UFC 311 live on ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV) from inside Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, Calif., stopping Jamahal Hill via third-round TKO in a matchup of former UFC champions.

This was a barn burner from the opening bell. Both Prochazka and Hill landed crisp punches that left the crowd in a roar. However, Prochazka seemed to have the more powerful shots and started to bloody Hill’s face. Prochazka also showed off better defense on his feet with consistent head movement.

Hill, who was trying to prove his doubters wrong, came back strong towards the end of the second round and did some good work to Prochazka’s body. Prochazka is as tough as they come, though, and eventually returned fire in the third. He cracked Hill with a huge left-right combination that sent “Sweet Dreams” to the canvas. Hill returned to his feet only to be later knocked down again and then finished with heavy ground-and-pound.

It was a huge finish by Prochazka as he returns to the UFC win column following a knockout loss to current division champion Alex Pereira in a rematch back at UFC 303. Check out Prochazka’s TKO stoppage over Hill below along with a post-fight callout of Pereira, who was sitting cageside (and just got booked for his next title defense).

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For complete UFC 311 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.

With UFC 311 in the books after a monster night (Sat., Jan. 18, 2025) of fights live on ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV) from inside Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, Calif., fight fans can now check out the post-fight press conference video above for all the best reaction and official bonus winners.

On a night that featured a re-worked lightweight title fight between champion Islam Makhachev and surging contender Renato Moicano, a co-headliner pitting UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili against the undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov, and a clash of former UFC light heavyweight champions in Jiri Prochazka and Jamahal Hill, there will be a lot to discuss now that the action has concluded.

The post-fight presser is scheduled to go LIVE in the above video player around 1:15 a.m. ET (Sunday). It will feature the biggest winners and losers from the card, as well as UFC CEO Dana White.

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For complete UFC 311 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.

Jailton Almeida reminded the heavyweight division that he’s a top contender earlier tonight (Sat., Jan. 18, 2025) at UFC 311 live on ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV) from inside Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, Calif., as the Brazilian wrestler put a brutal stop to Serghei Spivac with a first-round TKO (punches).

Spivac had won seven of his last nine Octagon appearances coming into UFC 311, but “Polar Bear” was still a +300 betting underdog. That’s because Almeida has proven to be the best takedown specialist in the UFC’s heavyweight division. If not for a split-second knockout defeat to Curtis Blaydes, Almeida would be on the cusp of his first-ever title shot.

That said, Spivac did not make this fight easy for Almeida. “Polar Bear” surprised many with his own takedown early into the first round and landed some hard punches as well. Almeida is tough, though, and eventually regained control on the ground and unloaded vicious punches. Spivac was in serious trouble and simply couldn’t defend anymore. The fight was waved off and Almeida walked away with a crucial finish.

Check out the video highlights below:

Almeida, 33, is now 6-1 in the UFC’s heavyweight division. This was a huge performance that should go a long way in getting Almeida a bigger matchup next. He called out former UFC title challenger Ciryl Gane after his win so maybe that’s the fight to make. Check out Almeida’s post-fight callout below:

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For complete UFC 311 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.

Alex Pereira will finally defend his UFC light heavyweight title against surging Russian contender Magomed Ankalaev when the two strikers meet at UFC 313 on March 8 from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The light heavyweight title fight was announced during the ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV) broadcast of UFC 311 (results HERE).

This matchup has been in the making for quite some time. Pereira would have likely met Ankalaev sooner if the Russian fighter would have defeated Jan Blachowicz for the title back at UFC 282. Unfortunately, Ankalaev fought Blachowicz to a draw and has been trying to claw his way back to a title shot ever since.

As for Pereira, he’s been one of UFC’s biggest stars over the past two years and turned in an incredible 2024 campaign that saw him go 3-0 with three knockouts and three title defenses. Anakalev is just about the only contender left that “Poatan” hasn’t defeated so fight fans are eager to see the matchup play out. They’ll finally get their wish this March in “Sin City.”

In addition to the light heavyweight title fight, UFC 313 will feature a lightweight barn burner between former title challenger Justin Gaethje and fan favorite Dan Hooker. It will be the first time Gaethje is fighting since his brutal knockout loss to Max Holloway back at UFC 300. As for Hooker, he’ll look to continue his recent resurgence that has led to a three-fight win streak.

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