Now that UFC Fight Night: Dern vs Ribas 2 is in the books, MMA fans around the world can turn their attention to the first Pay-Per-View of 2025.
Two fantastic title fights top things off in Los Angeles, with reigning lightweight champion Islam Makhachev set to defend his throne against 22-3 contender Arman Tsarukyan in the main event.
The two fought to a razor-sharp decision in 2019, and while many fans are predicting another exciting affair at UFC 311, the welterweight champion sees the writing on the wall for a much more dominant performance this time around.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
UFC champion claims Islam Makhachev is 'on another level' ahead of rematch
The first PPV of 2025 will 'hopefully' take place live from Los Angeles on January 18, with CEO Dana White now stating that UFC 311 could be moved to Las Vegas if ongoing wildfires continue to engulf parts of California.
UFC champion Islam Makhachev will be ready to defend his lightweight title wherever that championship fight takes place, and according to a UFC icon, his upcoming rematch with Tsarukyan will be a more one-sided contest than their first fight in 2019.
Via Submission Radio, welterweight champion Belal Muhammad explained how Tsarukyan represents “the second best.” [fighter] in the lightweight division,” there is still a significant gap between Makhachev and the rest of the roster.
“But when I look at their first fight, Islam looked sick, Islam didn't look the same, but I do think Islam has grown a lot since that fight anyway.
“And if you look at similar opponents – what Islam has done to them [Charles] Oliveira, and what Arman did to Oliveira – it's very different. Islam is just on another level than all these lightweights, and it's just so much better all around.
UFC 311 is the second rematch of Makhachev's career, the first being his two iconic title fights with former featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.
Muhammad, who is expected to face Shavkat Rakhmonov sometime in May 2025, believes Makhachev will want to put a “stamp” on his upcoming rematch, as he did last year with “The Great.”
“And he's getting better every fight, and the one rematch we've seen Islam in, with his second fight with Volk, he finished him. And for this fight he's trying to do the same.
“The first Volk fight was close, so he said, 'Okay, let me show how much better I am than him.' The first Arman fight was close, so I think he'll leave a mark on it [at UFC 311].”
Islam Makhachev trains in a 'room full of killers' for UFC 311
Belal Muhammad remains a close friend and teammate of Makhachev, and being part of the Russian's training camp is something 'Remember the Name' will never forget.
“I was really just in Vegas for the last two weeks, so to be able to train, work, watch and just be in that room with the energy, right? For Khabib [Nurmagomedov]He has three guys he corners, but they all look great.
'They all look hungry, the [training] The room is full of killers and I'm curious to see how they perform.”
January 18 will be a busy night for the wider Makhachev team, with Umar Nurmagomedov set to challenge for bantamweight gold in the co-main event, alongside Tagir Ulanbekov who will also compete in the UFC 311 preliminaries.
“I think all three will win, all three have clear rounds [and] easy paths to victory,” Muhammad predicted, with all three athletes being moderate to heavy betting favorites.
“Khabib is going to start the year big,” Mohammed concluded; Hopefully it's better than it started when Khabib Nurmagomedov was removed from a Frontier Airlines flight earlier this week.
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