Tag: ufc 311

Ji?í Procházka Gives Latest Update On Postponed Middleweight Plans

Ji?í Procházka has recently spoken about a potential move to middleweight in the future which caught a lot of fans by surprise given his size. The former light heavyweight champion is still one of the top contenders at 205-pounds with his only losses in the UFC coming to Alex Pereira. With his next outing being […]

Ji?í Procházka has recently spoken about a potential move to middleweight in the future which caught a lot of fans by surprise given his size. The former light heavyweight champion is still one of the top contenders at 205-pounds with his only losses in the UFC coming to Alex Pereira.

With his next outing being confirmed for UFC 311 in January where he will face Jamahal Hill in a clash of former titleholders that has been a long time coming, it looks like 185-pounds is on the backburner for now. Given the amount of contenders that are currently at middleweight, it only makes sense for him to continue campaigning in his natural weight class.

In a recent interview with James Lynch for Sportskeeda, Procházka spoke about his future at the weight class below and why he has chosen to stay at light heavyweight for the time being. He says that he wanted to make a significant change following his loss to “Poatan” at UFC 303 but he has found ways to do that which don’t mean that he has to leave the division entirely.

Ahead of his return to take on “Sweet Dreams”, he believes that he still has unfinished business to attend to at 205 before he thinks about cutting a bit more weight.

“I thought about that a lot but it was like decision to change something, to make a big change because I know my body is working really, really well when I don’t eat a lot so I’m keeping that but still. I’ve got the power, I got the strength and I have the endurance and all the abilities and everything to beat the guys in the light heavyweight so for me, this is the best. Maybe I will jump to the middleweight, maybe or I will jump to middleweight, but first, I said to myself I want to win the light heavyweight title. That’s all what’s on my mind right now and win the next fight especially.”

Makhachev vs. Tsarukyan 2, Dvalishvili vs. Nurmagomedov Official For UFC 311

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 […]

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 Ji?í 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)
  • Ji?í 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)

Khabib Nurmagomedov Already Stressed Over Cornering Back-To-Back Title Fights at UFC 311

Khabib Nurmagomedov Already Stressed Over Cornering Back-To-Back Title Fights at UFC 311January 18 is going to be a busy night for Khabib Nurmagomedov. On Wednesday, Dana White announced that the…

Khabib Nurmagomedov Already Stressed Over Cornering Back-To-Back Title Fights at UFC 311

January 18 is going to be a busy night for Khabib Nurmagomedov.

On Wednesday, Dana White announced that the promotion’s first pay-per-view of the new year will be headlined by a lightweight title clash between reigning and defending champion Islam Makhachev and the division’s top-ranked contender Arman Tsarukyan.

On top of that, Merab Dvalishvili will make his first defense of the bantamweight crown when he meets undefeated sensation Umar Nurmagomedov in the co-main event.

Those two title fights join the already-announced light heavyweight banger between former titleholders Jamahal Hill and Jiri Prochazka.

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Considering that both Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov are famously a part of Khabib’s team in Dagestan, the UFC Hall of Famer is already stressing about having to corner his fighters in back-to-back championship bouts next month.

“I think it’s never happened before, or hasn’t happened until now,” Nurmagomedov wrote in a translated post on his Instagram story. “What a night is waiting for me, I hope I’ll survive.”

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Can Khabib Nurmagomedov go 2-0 in title fights at UFC 311?

For Islam Makhachev, it will be his third time putting his 155-pound crown on the line after securing two straight wins over Alexander Volkanovski before submitting Dustin Poirier in the fifth round of their UFC 302 main event in June.

Makhachev’s fight with Tsarukyan will be the second-ever meeting between the two. The first came back in 2019 when Makahchev defeated ‘Ahalkalakets’ via unanimous decision at UFC on ESPN 7. Since then, Tsarukyan has gone 9-1 inside the Octagon, his only other loss coming against Mateusz Gamrot. Tsarukyan earned his spot at the top of the lightweight ladder via a quartet of wins, including Ws against Beneil Dariush and ex-champion Charles Oliveira.

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Meanwhile, Umar Nurmagomedov — the cousin of Khabib — will compete in his first title fight at UFC 311. Despite being a perfect 18-0 in his mixed martial arts career with six of those victories coming inside the Octagon, Nurmagomedov is sorely lacking any noteworthy wins outside of a dominant performance against Cory Sandhagen in August that skyrocketed him toward the top of the rankings.

Before that, his UFC wins came against Sergey Morozov, Brian Kelleher, Nate Maness, Raoni Barcelos, and Bekzat Almakhan. Still, Nurmagomedov opened as a 2-to-1 favorite to defeat Dvalishvili and bring the bantamweight belt back home to Russia.

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Jamahal Hill Debates Who Got KO’d Worse By Alex Pereira With Ji?í Procházka: ‘You Got Dominated…I Got Caught!’

The hype for one of UFC 311’s most anticipated bouts is underway, as former light heavyweight champions Jamahal Hill and Ji?í Procházka traded barbs over who had it worse in their unsuccessful attempts to reclaim the gold earlier this year. Both Hill and Procházka never lost the championship inside the Octagon. They also challenged Alex […]

The hype for one of UFC 311’s most anticipated bouts is underway, as former light heavyweight champions Jamahal Hill and Ji?í Procházka traded barbs over who had it worse in their unsuccessful attempts to reclaim the gold earlier this year.

Both Hill and Procházka never lost the championship inside the Octagon. They also challenged Alex Pereira earlier this year in attempts to claim the gold but were easily disposed of.

“Sweet Dreams” challenged Pereira at UFC 300, getting dropped and finished in the very first round. “BJP,” meanwhile, was rocked and dropped at the end of the first round in his UFC 303 rematch with “Poatan” before being finished seconds into the second frame.

Procházka recently brought about his criticism of Hill’s fighting style, putting his fighting IQ into question. Hill responded through a YouTube video, taking shots at several of his light heavyweight counterparts, including a response to his upcoming Czech opponent.

Jamahal Hill vs. Ji?í Procházka: Who Got KO’d Worse By Alex Pereira?

“We had the same opponent in our last fight, right? In your last performance, you got dominated and knocked out,” Hill said. “You got dominated, and I got caught. There’s a huge difference. You’ve even got your ponytail leaning to the left. I hope you wear that ponytail in our fight so I can lean it back to the right for you.

“We can compare every performance — while I put on dominant performances, you just survive and scrape by with a win. We’re not the same.”

Procházka won the light heavyweight championship with a submission of Glover Teixeira at UFC 275. However, he vacated the title by the end of 2022 without making a defense due to an injury.

Hill went on to capture the belt with his own victory over Teixeira at UFC 283. Hill, however, was forced to vacate the title, too, after his own injury. That allowed for the initial fight between Pereira and Procházka that headlined UFC 295, with the Brazilian finishing “BJP” there as well.

Ji?í Procházka Takes Aim At UFC 311 Opponent Jamahal Hill: ‘In Your last Fight…’

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Ji?í Procházka hasn’t forgotten some past remarks from upcoming opponent Jamahal Hill. Procházka announced his return to action last week, taking to social media to reveal a clash with fellow former titleholder Hill for the year-opening UFC 311 pay-per-view in Los Angeles. The bout will mark both men’s first appearances […]

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Ji?í Procházka hasn’t forgotten some past remarks from upcoming opponent Jamahal Hill.

Procházka announced his return to action last week, taking to social media to reveal a clash with fellow former titleholder Hill for the year-opening UFC 311 pay-per-view in Los Angeles.

The bout will mark both men’s first appearances since respective knockout losses to reigning 205-pound kingpin Alex Pereira. While “Sweet Dreams” was stopped in one round at UFC 300, “BJP” narrowly made it to a second frame at UFC 303 before being violently stopped by “Poatan” for a second time.

Despite his own setback to the Brazilian, Hill had plenty to say about Procházka’s loss during International Fight Week. And the Czech star evidently still has that on his mind…

“I’m really looking forward for my next fight,” Procházka said in a recent video posted on X. “Jamahal, don’t speak about my performances, fight IQ, and all these things, because in your last fight, you didn’t show (anything), really.”

And it wasn’t just Hill who found himself in the firing line.

Procházka also sent shots the way of Magomed Ankalaev, who is expected to be next in line for a shot at Pereira’s gold after defending his spot on the ladder opposite Aleksandar Raki? at UFC 308 last month.

“This same guy, Ankalaev, in your last three fights, you showed totally nothing, so stay on the ground,” Procházka said.

Ankalaev is yet to face either Procházka or Hill. Regardless of the result of his expected challenge against Pereira, a showdown with one of the two could await him soon after, whether as defending champion or contender working his way back to the gold.

Reinier de Ridder Gets Second Fight vs. Kevin Holland At UFC 311 On Jan. 18

Fresh off his successful Octagon debut, former two-division ONE champion Reinier de Ridder has his next assignment in the calendar for UFC 311. After parting ways with ONE Championship earlier this year and subsequently returning to winning ways under the UAE Warriors banner, de Ridder (18-2) had his lifelong ambition of a venture to the […]

Fresh off his successful Octagon debut, former two-division ONE champion Reinier de Ridder has his next assignment in the calendar for UFC 311.

After parting ways with ONE Championship earlier this year and subsequently returning to winning ways under the UAE Warriors banner, de Ridder (18-2) had his lifelong ambition of a venture to the UFC come to fruition.

The Dutchman made his first appearance on the UFC Vegas 100 card at the Apex earlier this month, sharing the cage with middleweight veteran Gerald Meerschaert. While de Ridder faced some adversity in the opening two rounds, he ultimately added to his submission tally with a third-round arm-triangle choke.

And it’s not taken long for a new target to be placed in “The Dutch Knight’s” crosshairs. Per MMA Mania’s Alex Behunin, de Ridder will return at UFC 311 inside Los Angeles’ newly built Intuit Dome to do battle with the always entertaining Kevin Holland (26-12, 1 NC).

“Trailblazer,” a formerly ranked contender at both 185 and 170 pounds, has gone 1-1 since returning to middleweight this year off the back of a defeat to Michael “Venom” Page.

After landing a gruesome armbar submission to defeat Micha? Oleksiejczuk at UFC 302 this past June, Holland most recently saw a difficult start opposite Roman Dolidze compounded by a rib injury that left him unable to continue into round two at UFC 307 last month.

With this addition the current fights expected to take place at UFC 311 on Jan. 18 are as follows:

  • Ji?í Procházka vs. Jamahal Hill (light heavyweight)
  • 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)