Islam Makhachev defeats Renato Moicano by submission at UFC 311!
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Updated 19/01/2025 at 07:12 GMT
Welcome to our live text coverage of UFC 311 from Inglewood, California, featured the main event of Islam Makhachev against Renato Moicano. The latter was drafted in to replace Arman Tsarukyan, who pulled out with injury, but tapped out in the first round. The co-main event saw Merab Dvalishvili defend his bantamweight crown against Umar Nurmagomedov. Stream all the action live on discovery+.
Makhachev: Real fans know who is the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter
Video credit: Eurosport
THANK YOU FOR FOLLOWING THE ACTION WITH US
Watch all the action on discovery+ and join us again in three weeks for UFC 312.
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A select number of events will be on TNT Sports Box Office.
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'NO MATTER' WHO THE OPPONENT IS
"I like this belt, If somebody wants this belt - come to the cage," Makhachev said on TNT Sports.
MAKHACHEV SUBMITS MOICANO IN ROUND 1
POUND...FOR...POUND!
After a cagey start typical of southpaw v orthodox fighters, the lightweight champion falls to the mat midway through the round, but it was ruled a slip but a punch did land at a similar time. Unsurprisingly, Makhachev then looked to take the contest to ground with a double leg take down. He locks in a D'Arce choke and Moicano quickly taps.
IT'S TIME....
Music to UFC fans' ears.
MAKHACHEV IS ALL BUSINESS
No surprise there.
MAICANO ENTERS THE ARENA TO 2PAC
All Eyez on Me his song of choice. He wins some supporters in the crowd by embracing the legendary adopted West Coaster.
THE MAIN EVENT IS NEXT!
There are some famous late replacement heroes in fighting history, but if Renato Moicano wins tonight it will top all of these surely. Not that Maicano is not a worthy opponent.
THERE IS ONLY ONE MERAB...
He can say that again. Just astonishing heart and endurance.
DVALISHVILI RETAINS CROWN!
He takes an unanimous decision winning 48-47 (twice) and 49-46.
DVALISHVILI-NURMAGOMEDOV: ROUND 5
Little landing in the first minute as Dvalishvili looks to close but Nurmagomedov defends well. The challenger twice avoids being taken down when the champion grabs his leg. In a microcosm of the fight, Nurmagomedov is landing cleaner shots but Dvalishvili is forcing the fight and the more active. Dvalishvili continually goes for a takedown which might flip the round his way but Nurmagomedov avoids the attempts. Dvalishvili lands with a big tight hand near the end of the fight which puts the challenger down briefly and then soon after takes him down twice to, you would think, seal the round and fight.
DVALISHVILI-NURMAGOMEDOV: ROUND 4
Nurmagomedov is the more tired fighter but still is landing the cleaner shots. Especially with the left hand. Dvalishvili is constantly looking to spoil and brought Nurmagomedov to the deck in the closing stages. It looks like we are level going into the final round.
DVALISHVILI-NURMAGOMEDOV: ROUND 3
Dvalishvili at least seemed to make his opponent a bit uncomfortable in this round. He landed flush on Nurmagomedov's chin, which the challenger took well, and took his opponent to the ground twice. At the end of the round, Nurmagomedov locked in a waist lock and Dvalishvili stayed on his feet defending a suplex, playing to the crowd, before he was brought to the deck.
DVALISHVILI-NURMAGOMEDOV: ROUND 2
This is some show from Nurmagomedov. Front kicks, then slick boxing in and out of range, before a takedown getting the champion's back. Dvalishvili fought back to his feet. It is a five-round fight so the champion will still think he has time but is clearly affected by a busted nose. The pair exchanged shots near the end of the round but the challenger's face remains unmarked.
DVALISHVILI-NURMAGOMEDOV: ROUND 1
A closely fought contest. Nurmagomedov with the cleaner shots and in the closing stages seemed to sting Dvalishvili with a right hand. Earlier after Dvalishvili landed a good body blow, Nurmagomedov came very close to taking down his opponent grabbing his leg, but the champion careering into the fence escaped.
EPIC ENTRANCES AT SoFi
The West of America is spoilt with the Vegas Sphere and the big screen in this venue.
CO-MAIN EVENT IS NEXT!
Will Umar Nurmagomedov regret these words as he takes on the bantamweight champ.
JIRI WANTS A RUBBER MATCH WITH PEREIRA
He has twice been convincingly beaten, but it is hard to dispute he deserves it.
PROCHAZKA WINS BY KO IN ROUND 3!
Prochazka hurts Hill with a right hand which sees the American wobble back across the mat. The ensuing exchange sees damage open up on Hill's nose. Prochazka puts Hill down with a fantastic one-two and after Hill gets back up, a right puts the American back on the deck. He follows up with some brutal shots bringing an end to the contest. A fantastic display. Third fight with Pereira?
PROCHAZKA-HILL: ROUND 2
Prochazka gets a poke to the eye leading to a time out as the doctor checks whether his sight is impeded. In the stand up that follows there is more posturing than landing but though Hill landed more Prochazka's shots seem that much more telling and a right hand from the Czech fighter causes damage to his opponent's cheek.
PROCHAZKA-HILL: ROUND 1
Prochazka's round. He puts Hill down with a left hand which for a moment looks like it might end the contest early, but the though the American recovers pretty well.
EXCITING LIGHT-HEAVYWEIGHT CONTEST NEXT
Former champions do battle as #2 Jiri Prochazka takes on #3 Jamahal Hill, who is booed to the Octagon due to his emnity with Alex Pereira.
UFC 312 COMING IN THREE WEEKS
How do I watch UFC live streams on TNT Sports?
The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination.
You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.
A select number of events will be on TNT Sports Box Office.
TNT Sports Box Office offers both subscribers and non-subscribers pay-per-view access to some of the most exciting events in the calendar.
GANE STOP RUNNING AWAY!
Jailton Almeida wastes no time in calling out Cyril Gane.
"Cyril Gane stop running away - Brazil v France come on," Almeida said on TNT Sports.
"Just in case the (Jon Jones) fight doesn't happen, I'm at your disposal if you need."
First he makes a little faux pas...
ALMEIDA STOPS SPIVAC IN ROUND 1!
What a round of action! Spivac ragdolls Almeida to the mat and, after initial good defence from the Brazilian, the 'Polar Bear' lands brutal elbows, but midway through Almeida reverses the lock and gains control and gets Spivac's back. Spivac gets back in control and lands more painful shots, but then when they stand up Almeida lands a huge right hand, followed by an uppercut which hurts Spivac and he never recovers. Almeida then rides him and ground and pounds to his defenseless opponent leading the referee to stop the fight with less than ten seconds to go in the round.
TOP TEN HEAVYWEIGHTS SET TO BATTLE
#6 Jailton Almeida takes on #7 Serghei 'The Polar Bear' Spivac.
CRAIG PILIGIAN ANNOUNCED AS HALL OF FAMER
The Executive Producer of the Ultimate Fighter is honoured.
DE RIDDER WINS BY SUBMISSION IN ROUND 1
The naturally bigger man De Ridder uses his size to get Holland on his back and using his long levers lands repeated shots before getting his back. Holland tries to shake him off but the Dutchman clings on and gets a choke in making his opponent tap.
IF YOU AINT DUTCH, YOU AINT MUCH...
Trying to prove this is Reiner de Ridder (18-2) as he takes on fellow middleweight Kevin Holland (26-12, 1 NC).
THE MAIN CARD IS NEXT...
- Islam Makhachev v. Renato Moicano (UFC lightweight title)
- Merab Dvalishvili v Umar Nurmagomedov (UFC bantamweight title)
- Jiri Prochazka v Jamahal Hill (Light-Heavyweight)
- Jailton Almeida v Serghei Spivac (Heavyweight)
- Kevin Holland v Reinier de Ridder (Middleweight)
Follow the action here and watch on discovery+.
How do I watch UFC live streams on TNT Sports?
The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination.
You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.
A select number of events will be on TNT Sports Box Office.
TNT Sports Box Office offers both subscribers and non-subscribers pay-per-view access to some of the most exciting events in the calendar.
BARCELOS WINS A SHUTOUT
He takes the fight 30-27 on two cards, with the third a 30-26. A huge victory for the 15/2 underdog.
TALBOTT-BARCELOS: ROUND 3
Talbott gets Barcelos down and the Brazilian grabs the fence. Talbott opts to retake the position and there follows an incredible 30 seconds of action with both landing huge strikes and knees and then each taking down the other. The fight ended with Barcelos having position on Talbott's back pounding the youngsters with roundhouse punches and elbows. Surely an upset victory and a chastening lesson for the young American star.
TALBOTT-BARCELOS: ROUND 2
Talbott lands strong strikes at times but Barcelos takes him down three times. When on their feet, Barcelos was pedalling backwards as Talbott looked to land power shots. A tough one to call. You probably have to go for Barcelos though.
TALBOTT-BARCELOS: ROUND 1
Barcelos brings the young phenom to the mat and gets position on his back. He lands some ground and pound and tries to lock in an arm triangle but Talbott defends well, albeit taking a fair bit of punishment.
UNBEATEN PUNCHER PAYTON UP NEXT
Payton Talbott (9-0, 7 KOs) takes on veteran bantamweight Raoni Barcelos.
THAT IS HOW YOU ARRIVE IN UFC!
BEKOEV WINS BY KNOCKOUT!
The Russian got his opponent down and though Reese landed some elbows with his back on the mat, Bekov's ground and pound brought the fight to a quick conclusion. Crazy power from short right hands, followed by unseen left hands to the back of the head brought an early culmination to the contest.
MIDDLEWEIGHTS IN ACTION NOW
American Zachary Reese takes on Russian 'Kingpin' Azamat Bekoev.
KHABIB SPENT NIGHT IN FILM STUDY
A good insight into how the main event teams feel about the late-notice opponent. Moicano's feel the fact he was in the same camp as Tsarakyan means he is well prepared. Meanwhile, Islam Makhachev's trainer Khabib Nurmagomedov went straight from his media commitments to studying Moicano on tape through the evening.
GUSKOV STOPS ELEKANA IN ROUND 2
Guskov dominant. His shots to the body wore Elekana down and then he landed uppercut after uppercut and a high knee forcing his opponent to take a knee and, with him making no effort to get up and eating repeated blows, the referee steps in.
GUSKOV-ELEKANA: ROUND 1
Guskov wins the opener and was moments away from winning by submission with Elekana tapping moments after the round ended.
DAWSON WINS BY SHUTOUT
DAWSON-FERREIRA: ROUND 3
Dawson dominated the first two minutes on the ground before the referee got them back up to huge cheers from the crowd. Dawson rocked Ferreira with a couple of right hands before the action went back to the ground. An easy decision for the judges.
DAWSON-FERREIRA: ROUND 2
There was a little stand up trading early, where Ferreira had some joy stinging Dawson, but then as the action went down to the mat, to the crowd's consternation, and the American dominated, wearing down his opponent.
DAWSON-FERREIRA: ROUND 1
Dawson took down Ferreira midway through the round and then as Ferreira looked to escape, the American held onto one leg and then booted him in the face with the other. For the rest of the round, Dawson had control on the mat with his superior wresting but Ferreira did catch his opponent with an upkick which caught the favourite's attention.
DAWSON-FERREIRA UP FIRST
#15 lightweight Grant Dawson takes on Diego Ferreira in the first of the prelims.
IT'S GONNA BE BANANAS - CORMIER
In the excellent co-main event Merab Dvalishvili takes on number-two ranked bantamweight Umarr Nurmagomedov. Many people see this as the likely fight of the night, including fight analyst Daniel Cormier.
WE ARE LIVE...
The action is underway on TNT Sports 1. Watch live on discovery+.
FULL BILL
Main Card
- Islam Makhachev v. Renato Moicano (UFC lightweight title)
- Merab Dvalishvili v Umar Nurmagomedov (UFC bantamweight title)
- Jiri Prochazka v Jamahal Hill (Light-Heavyweight)
- Jailton Almeida v Serghei Spivac (Heavyweight)
- Kevin Holland v Reinier de Ridder (Middleweight)
Prelims
- Payton Talbott v Raoni Barcelos (Bantamweight)
- Zachary Reese v Azamat Bekoev (Middleweight)
- Bogdan Guskov v Billy Elekana (Light-Heavyweight)
- Grant Dawson v Diego Ferreira (Lightweight)
EARLY RESULTS...
- Muin Gafurov defeated Rinya Nakamura by unanimous decision (30-27 on all three scorecards)
- Tagir Ulanbekov defeated Clayton Carpenter by unanimous decision 30-27 (twice) and 29-28.
- Benardo Sopaj defeated Ricky Turcios by unanimous decision 30-27 (twice) and 29-28.
BUSY NIGHT AHEAD FOR THE LEGEND
WE GO LIVE IN LESS THAN HALF AN HOUR...
The action starts on TNT Sports 1 shortly. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination. You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.
ISLAM OUT TO PROVE HE IS STILL THE P4P KING
Jon Jones and Alex Pereira made their cases towards the end of 2024, but Islam Makhachev insists the fans know who is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport.
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Makhachev: Real fans know who is the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter
Video credit: Eurosport
WHAT WILL LATE CHANGE TO MAIN EVENT MEAN?
Arman Tsarukyan's late pull out with a back injury has given Renato Moicano the opportunity of a lifetime. The Brazilian comes into the fight on the back of three wins in 2024. It is hard to see him, or anyone beating Islam, but maybe...just maybe the circumstances of a late replacement will see the champ lose focus and be defeated.
STRAP SEASON IS NOW UNDERWAY
HELLO AND WELCOME!
Thanks for joining our coverage of this stacked UFC card, headlined by the return of Islam Makhachev, defending his lightweight title against Renato Moicano.
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How do I watch UFC live streams on TNT Sports?
The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination.
You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.
A select number of events will be on TNT Sports Box Office.
TNT Sports Box Office offers both subscribers and non-subscribers pay-per-view access to some of the most exciting events in the calendar.
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