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UFC 311 Loses Main Event on Weigh-In Day, Dana White Announces New Title Fight

One top lightweight contender is set for the biggest opportunity of his career.
Drew Beaupre|
Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

UFC 311 has unfortunately lost its highly-anticipated main event on weigh-in day.

Chaos On UFC 311 Weigh-In Day

Set to take place at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, CA, UFC 311 was supposed to feature a rematch between UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan in the night’s main event after the undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov challenges UFC Bantamweight Champion Merab Dvalishvili in the co-main event.

Khabib Nurmagomedov Believes Brass ‘Made’ Merab Dvalishvili Fight Umar at UFC 311

Makhachev, Nurmagomedov, and Dvalishvili all successfully made weight for their fights in the first hour of the UFC 311 weigh-ins the day before the event, but during the second hour a report from Red Corner MMA kicked off rampant concern that Tsarukyan might be out of the card’s headlining fight due to injury.

UFC 311 Loses Main Event on Weigh-In Day, Dana White Announces New Title Fight
Apr 13, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Arman Tsarukyan during UFC 300 at T-Mobile Arena. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

No update was issued on the UFC 311 weigh-in show immediately after the report surfaced, but it didn’t take long for #3-ranked featherweight contender Diego Lopes to get word of the rumors and offer to step in and fight Makhachev.

Dana White Announces New UFC 311 Main Event

The promotion left fans waiting until the final half hour of the UFC 311 weigh-ins, but UFC CEO Dana White finally joined the weigh-in show to announce that Tsarukyan had unfortunately suffered a back injury and Renato Moicano would bet stepping in to face Makhachev.

Dana White Reveals Former Bantamweight Champ Sean O’Malley Will Attend UFC 311

Originally scheduled to face #9-ranked lightweight Beneil Dariush as part of the UFC 311 main card, Moicano is currently on an impressive four-fight win streak and most recently stopped fellow top lightweight Benoit Saint-Denis in the main event of UFC Paris in September.

UFC 311 Loses Main Event on Weigh-In Day, Dana White Announces New Title Fight
Apr 13, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Renato Moicano (blue gloves) reacts after defeating Jalin Turner (red gloves) during UFC 300 at T-Mobile Arena. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The news is certainly disappointing for fans that were excited to see #1-ranked Tsarukyan challenge Makhachev in a huge rematch, but now Moicano has the chance to score what would arguably be the biggest upset in UFC history on Saturday night.

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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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