It’s UFC fight week again, and this time, we’re building up to the first pay-per-view event of 2025, headlined by the Lightweight Champion, Islam Makhachev as he defends his crown for the fourth time as he faces Arman Tsarukyan. UFC 311 is currently scheduled to take place at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California this Saturday. With the tragic wildfires still occurring, it’s possible the event will be relocated to Las Vegas. Should the event be moved, it’s likely that the will take place at the T-Mobile Arena, as, according to MMA Journalist Ariel Helwani, the venue isn’t booked on January 18th.
Background and Previous Encounter
The Lightweight Champion, Islam Makhachev, and Arman Tsarukyan have previously met at the UFC octagon. In April 2019, the pair faced off on the undercard of the Alistair Overeem vs. Aleksei Oleinik event in St Petersburg, Russia. Makhachev secured a unanimous decision victory (30-27 x2, 29-28) that night in what was an entertaining fight, earning both men a $50,000 ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus.
It’s been a long time since the pair first fought and the run that the pair have both been on is nothing short of exceptional. Islam Makhachev (26-1-0) has had nine fights since April 2019 and has won all of them. He won the UFC Lightweight Title against Charles Oliveira and has defended the belt three times, twice, against Alexander Volkanovski and once against Dustin Poirier. Some resume!
Arman Tsarukyan is 9-1 since losing against Makhachev, and in his last two bouts has won a decision against Charles Oliveira and kcnocked out Beneil Dariush. With two victories against big names in the division, it’s hard to argue that Tsarukyan doesn’t deserve a shot at the title.
Fighter Profiles
Islam Makhachev
Training under the tutelage of Hall of Famer, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Makhachev is known for his high-level wrestling and grappling. In recent fights, particularly his second bout against Alexander Volkanovski, he displayed much improved striking ability, which has led some people to make the case that he is even better than Khabib was.
There’s still some way to go before solidifying that argument. However, Makhachev is fighting better opposition and winning in a variety of different ways, making him a very difficult fighter to prepare for. Islam Makhachev has only ever lost once in his career and is currently riding a thirteen-fight win streak, which has placed him number one in the UFC pound-for-pound rankings, above Jon Jones.
Arman Tsarukyan
At 28 years old, Tsarukyan is only just entering his prime. Coupled with how long ago the first fight with Makhachev was, it’s not very wise to make conclusions about the outcome of this fight since so much has happened in both men’s careers since April 2019.
A precise striker with impressive cardio, Tsarukyan likes to push the pace and apply pressure to his opponents. It will be interesting to see if he continues this approach with Makhachev, considering the champion’s grappling excellence, but given Tsarukyan’s recent performances, he will go into the fight very confident despite being the big underdog.
Key Factors and Strategies
When Makhachev and Tsarukyan first competed against each other, the fight involved a lot of high-level grappling exchanges, with both fighters displaying confidence in their wrestling. At UFC 311 we could see the same thing play out and witness Tsarukyan’s wrestling and Makhachev’s sambo background on display. Both men have also significantly improved their striking, as evidenced by Tsarukyan’s KO of Beneil Dariush and Makhachev’s KO victory over Volkanovski in Abu Dhabi at UFC 294.
Tsarukyan, known for his cardio, will come up against a fighter in Makhachev who is well accustomed to preparing for five-round fights. Whether it goes to the championship rounds or not remains to be seen, but if it does, it will be interesting to see how well Tsarukyan copes with the extra ten minutes.
Who do you think will get their hand raised on Saturday in the main event at UFC 311? Let us know in the comments.
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