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Islam Makhachev Makes Short Work of Renato Moicano in UFC 311 Main Event

A revamped lightweight title fight headlined the first UFC Pay-Per-View of the year in Los Angeles.

Drew Beaupre

(Zuffa LLC)

Renato Moicano stepped into the Octagon for the biggest fight of his career opposite Light Champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 311.

Makhachev Forces Early Tap From Moicano

UFC 311 was originally supposed to be headlined by a highly-anticipated rematch between Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan, but on weigh-in day the UFC announced that the #1-ranked lightweight contender had suffered a back injury during his weight cut and was unable to compete.

UFC 311 Free Live Stream Results & Highlights – Islam Makhachev vs. Renato Moicano

A matchup between top-ranked lightweights Moicano and Beneil Dariush was luckily also scheduled for the UFC 311 main card, and with "Money" riding the momentum of four-straight wins and six lightweight victories in a row the promotion presented him with a short-notice chance at UFC gold.

Moicano showed nothing but confidence leading up to his unexpected title fight but was unsurprisingly a massive underdog to Makhachev, who entered the night on a 14-fight win streak that included three previous defenses of his lightweight belt.

The two lightweights spent the first few minutes of their title bout exchanging strikes, but when the champion decided to finally shoot for a takedown and establish top position a scramble from Moicano presented the perfect chance for Makhachev to bring things to an early end with a nasty d'arce choke.

Alex Pereira Title Fight Headlines UFC 313, Lightweight Banger Set as Co-Main Event

The lightweight title bout capped off an action-packed UFC 311 main card that opened with back-to-back first-round finishes from Reinier de Ridder and Jailton Almeida before Jiří Procházka stopped Jamahal Hill in a battle between fomer light heavyweight champions, and in the co-main event Makhachev's teammate Umar Nurmagomedov suffered the first loss of his career against UFC Bantamweight Champion Merab Dvalishvili.

More UFC & MMA News

• Former UFC Champion Announces Retirement After 13 Years

• Beneil Dariush Reacts to Losing Out on Renato Moicano Fight at UFC 311

• Ex-Champ Alexander Volkanovski Teases Boss Dana White After UFC 311 Switch-Up

• Bellator Veteran Neiman Gracie Parts Ways with PFL, Kai Kamaka III Asks for Release

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Drew Beaupre
DREW BEAUPRE

Drew is an MMA writer that regularly watches regional events in addition to major promotions such as the UFC, PFL, Bellator, and ONE Championship. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023.

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