Editor’s note: The article has been updated at 3:45 PM ET on
Jan. 17 to add statements from multiple fighters. 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.

After the news broke, Tsarukyan put out a statement on social media, where
he explained his situation and apologized for his withdrawal.

„UFC and UFC fans,“ Tsarukyan wrote, „I regret to inform everyone
that the news is that I had to pull out of UFC 311 with a back
injury is true. This was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make
in my fighting career. I would like to thank the UFC for
understanding and I look forward to competing for my first UFC
Championship in the future. Thank you all for your support.“

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.

Like his former opponent, Makhachev also weighed in on the
opponent change shortly after it came to light.

„What does this title represent,“ Makhachev asked. „It means you
are the best in the world and if you are the best in the world, it
doesn’t matter who’s going to be standing across from you. What do
I say? No? NEVER. Let’s do this!“

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.

IMAK ADMIN

By IMAK ADMIN

Internationaler Kampfkunst und Kampfsport Kleinanzeiger