Guskov Replaces Walker for UFC 311 Bout
The light heavyweight bout announced for UFC 311 changed before fight night. Johnny Walker withdrew with an injury, and Billy Elekana stepped in to face Bogdan Guskov at the January 18, 2025 event in Inglewood, California.
Walker’s withdrawal changed the matchup
Walker and Guskov had been booked to meet at UFC 311, but Walker was removed from the card after an injury. Elekana, making his UFC debut, accepted the replacement bout on short notice. The change turned a matchup between two established light heavyweight finishers into a test of how quickly Elekana could adapt to a ranked opponent.
Guskov finished Elekana in the second round
Guskov won by guillotine choke at 3:33 of the second round. The official result gave him a submission victory after the late opponent change; Walker did not compete on the card.
A different UFC 311 card
The event took place at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. Its originally scheduled lightweight title headliner also changed when Arman Tsarukyan withdrew, leading Renato Moicano to replace him against Islam Makhachev. With two major substitutions, the final card differed substantially from the early lineup previewed here.
Sources
UFC: UFC 311 updates — Johnny Walker out, Billy Elekana in
UFC 311 weigh-in results and fight card
UFC 311 official scorecards and results
