Moicano replaces Tsarukyan; will face Makhachev in new UFC 311 main event
The UFC 311 weigh-ins took a dramatic turn Friday with UFC president Dana White announcing Arman Tsarukyan has withdrawn from his main event matchup with lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.
LOS ANGELES — With a deep, talent-laden card headlined by title fights in two of the promotion’s most competitive divisions, UFC 311 was always bound to get 2025 off to a dramatic start. But no one wanted it to be like this.
Friday morning, with only a half hour remaining in the official weigh-in window and Arman Tsarukyan yet to step on the scales, UFC President Dana White announced that the No. 1 ranked lightweight was out of Saturday’s title fight with Islam Makhachev due to injury. Stepping in to take his place? Veteran fan favourite Renato Moicano.
In hindsight, it makes a great deal of sense that Moicano cut an extra pound and weighed in at championship weight Friday morning. White said the UFC received a call from Tsarukyan at 1:00 a.m. PT, informing the company “that he was experiencing significant back pain (and) due to the injury, he feels like he is not healthy enough to compete.”
Moicano was quickly contacted, and naturally agreed to step in on less than two days’ notice. The fighter with everything to gain is always the easy side of these situations. The challenge is the fighter with everything to lose. But White said that when he spoke to Makhachev, the 26-1 lightweight told him, “Brother, I am the champion. I don’t care who it is. I will fight anyone.”
