UFC 311 live blog: Islam Makhachev vs. Renato Moicano

Follow the UFC 311 live blog for Islam Makhachev vs. Renato Moicano, the lightweight championship main event this Saturday in Los Angeles.

The originally scheduled main event between Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan had to be changed after Tsarukyan withdrew from the bout due to a back injury. In steps Moicano, who was set to fight Beneil Dariush on the main card, but now finds himself with an unexpected championship opportunity.

Makhachev (26-1) enters his fourth defense of the UFC lightweight title as the No. 1 fighter in the MMA Fighting Pound-for-Pound Rankings. The Nurmagomedov family protégé has been indomitable since suffering his lone loss in 2015, having rattled off 14 straight wins since, including championship bout wins over Dustin Poirier, Alexander Volkanovski (twice), Charles Oliveira. He enters 2025 seeking to not only continue his lightweight reign, but to further build upon his already impressive legacy.

Seeking to spoil all that is Moicano (20-5-1). As recently as 2022, few would have pegged Moicano as a championship contender, but “Money” has ramped up his performances in the cage and on the microphone, becoming one of the most talked-about fighters in the 155-pound division. An upset of Makhachev would be one of the most shocking in MMA history and a fitting peak to Moicano’s unlikely journey to stardom.