UFC 311 has received a massive blow.
An injury has forced Arman Tsarukyan out of his main event tilt against UFC Lightweight Champion and pound-for-pound top MMA fighter Islam Makhachev, as announced Friday afternoon.
UFC was quick to pivot and find a Plan B for its main event, lining Makhachev up for a new title fight with a little over 24 hours to prepare. With Tsarukyan unavailable, the long-time 155-pound king will now meet Brazilian contender Renato Moicano on Saturday night from the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California, USA, per UFC CEO Dana White.
Tsarukyan wrote Friday that a back injury caused him to withdraw from his long-awaited rematch against Makhachev.
“I regret to inform everyone that the news is that I had to pull out of UFC 311 with a back injury is true,” he wrote on Instagram. “This was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make in my fighting career. I would like to thank the UFC for understanding and I look forward to competing for my first UFC Championship in the future. Thank you all for your support.”
Saturday night was expected to be Tsarukyan’s first-ever title fight, an opportunity he spent years grinding away at. Tsarukyan had earned the shot following an incredibly long climb up the standings, winning nine of his past 10 fights since 2019 and beating highly valued names like Beneil Dariush and Charles Oliveira.
The Armenian stand-out’s now-previously expected appearance on Saturday was also set to be a rematch against Makhachev that was years in the making. The duo first met back in April 2019, with Tsarukyan losing a competitive decision in his UFC debut against the now-champ.
Instead, Saturday night will now see Moicano look to pull off a massive upset victory.
Moicano, UFC’s 10th-ranked lightweight, was originally expected to face Beneil Dariush on Saturday night. He must now prepare on short notice for a five-round fight against the sport’s toughest name at the moment.
“Hey guess what I will be world champion tomorrow!” Moicano said on social media following the news of his main event upgrade. “God is so good! Thank you all for the support.”
Moicano has put together some momentum over the past year, extending his winning streak to four in a row with victories over respected names like Benoit Saint-Denis and Drew Dober.
Early lines set by oddsmakers see Moicano as high as a +600 underdog.
Makhachev will become the only lightweight champion in UFC history to defend their belt four times or more if successful on Saturday. His short-notice appearance will be following up previous appearances in the reign which saw him submit Dustin Poirier, beat Alexander Volaknovski in a pair of 2023 meetings, and tap out Charles Oliveira in 2022.
Saturday’s co-main event—a bantamweight title fight between Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov—was without drama on weigh-in day, with both fighters coming within the 135-pound limit.
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