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:
Moicano was way too easy for Islam
THE BEST IN THE WOOOORLD @SpinninBackfist pic.twitter.com/R61hZGUGqZ
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) January 19, 2025
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.
For complete UFC 311 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.