The first big Ultimate Fighting Championship show of the year has just taken a monumental hit.
During the UFC 311 early weigh-ins on Friday, Sherdog learned from sources close to the situation that headlining lightweight title challenger Arman Tsarukyan suffered a back injury. As a result, he has been forced to withdraw from the main attraction against Islam Makhachev (26-1). The promotion turned to Renato "Money" Moicano (20-5-1), who was set to face off against Beneil Dariush on the main card. Per the UFC on Friday morning, Moicano has agreed to vie for the strap, and the new marquee match is set.
Champion Makhachev will be putting his 14-fight win streak against a brand-new opponent stepping up on a day's notice. He will be attempting to become the first lightweight king to ever record four consecutive defenses, as he registered his first three against Alexander Volkanovski twice and Dustin Poirier. The man from Dagestan, Russia, currently serves as Sherdog's top pound-for-pound fighter.
Brazil's Carneiro will be getting his unexpected title shot after a terrific 2024 campaign that saw him pick up three wins. After claiming a decision over Drew Dober, Moicano scored his first career knockout by drumming out Jalin Turner with elbows and punches. He returned a few months later to dispatch Benoit St. Denis, forcing the doctor to rescue the Frenchman after 10 minutes of frenetic action.
Dariush was planning on entering the cage after a year away, with his previous pairing against Tsarukyan, where he lost in 64 seconds. It was the second first-round knockout defeat in a row, as Charles Oliveira crushed his eight-fight win streak by putting him away in about four minutes. Before the two losses, Dariush had prevailed over names like Mateusz Gamrot, Dober, Diego Ferreira and Tony Ferguson, while also registering one of a few spinning back fist knockouts in UFC history.
UFC 311 will still down on Jan. 18 in Los Angeles' Intuit Dome, although it comes with a new main bout as Islam Makhachev takes on Renato Moicano for lightweight gold. The other title fight that precedes it comes at 135 pounds as Merab Dvalishvili defends his belt against Umar Nurmagomedov. The main card will also include a potential light heavyweight title eliminator as Jiri Prochazka comes to blows with Jamahal Hill, and a thriller at middleweight when Kevin Holland faces Reinier de Ridder.