Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan rematch headlines UFC 311
The lightweight title will be on the line in the UFC 311 main event on Jan. 18 in Inglewood, California. Champion Islam Makhachev (26-1) takes on second-ranked Arman Tsarukyan (22-3) in a rematch. The fight promotion announced the headlining matchup on Wednesday via social media.
The two first fought at UFC Fight Night 149 in April 2019. Makhachev defeated Tsarukyan via unanimous decision and the bout earned 'Fight of the Night' honors. It was Tsarukyan's promotional debut.
The rematch will be Makhachev's fourth title defense. He won the vacant championship at UFC 280 in October 2022 by submitting Charles Oliveira. He then defeated former feathwegiht champion Alexander Volkanovski in a pair of fights. In his last outing, Makhachev picked up a submission victory over Dustin Poirier.
Since the loss to Makhachev, Tsarukyan went on to win nine of his next ten fights. He'll enter the title bout riding a four-fight winning streak including knocking out Beneil Dariush in 64 seconds and defeating Oliveira to earn the UFC 311 title shot.
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UFC 311 takes place at the newly opened 18,000 seat Intuit Dome. The arena opened on August 15 and will serve as the basketball venue in the 2028 Summer Olympics. The event will mark the promotion's third visit to Inglewood.
