Sat Jan 18 19:42:17 UTC 2025: **UFC 311 Main Event Shuffle: Moicano Steps In for Injured Tsarukyan**
**Inglewood, CA –** The UFC’s first pay-per-view event of 2025, UFC 311, taking place Saturday, January 18th at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, has undergone a significant last-minute change. Arman Tsarukyan, originally slated to challenge lightweight champion Islam Makhachev for the title, has withdrawn due to a neck and back injury.
Stepping in to face Makhachev will be Renato Moicano, who was previously scheduled to fight Beneil Dariush. This change leaves Dariush without an opponent, and he will be compensated by the UFC for his participation. Attempts to find a replacement for Dariush on short notice were unsuccessful.
Despite the alteration, the co-main event remains intact, featuring a bantamweight title fight between champion Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov. The card also includes a highly anticipated clash between former light heavyweight champions Jiří Procházka and Jamahal Hill. The UFC 311 event is expected to proceed as planned, with the revised main event now featuring Makhachev versus Moicano.
First Piper 