Russian mixed martial artist Islam Makhachev is set to defend his lightweight title against Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 311, Afrosport reports.
The fight, which is scheduled for 18 January 2025 in California, is a rematch of their epic 2019 bout, which was named Fight of the Night and was won on points by Makhachev.
The much-anticipated bout is set to become UFC’s first big event of 2025, and it sees Makhachev defend his lightweight belt for the fourth time since he won it in 2022.
The 33-year-old Russian will look to improve his impressive 26-1-0 record when he takes on his Armenian opponent.
Although the 28-year-old Tsarukyan, who has won nine of his last 10 bouts, is seen as the underdog, his four-fight winning streak and his last victory over former champion Charles Oliveira in April put him in a strong position to steal a win.
First PPV of 2025 is a BANGER 🔥@MAKHACHEVMMA vs @ArmanUFC 2@MerabDvalishvil vs @UNmgdv #UFC311 at the @IntuitDome | 🎟️: https://t.co/dX45J0Cwpw pic.twitter.com/QE3Evz1uQr
— UFC (@ufc) December 5, 2024
Meanwhile, Bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili will also be in action in the co-main event as the Georgian will look to defend his title against Russia’s Umar Nurmagomedov, the cousin of UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Nurmagomedov is undefeated in 18 bouts and will be confident going into his first title fight, while Dvalishvili has tasted defeat in four of his 22 fights.
