Moicano Replaced Tsarukyan at UFC 311
Islam Makhachev’s scheduled January 18, 2025 title rematch with Arman Tsarukyan did not take place. Tsarukyan withdrew on the eve of the event because of medical issues, and Renato Moicano replaced him, as described in the official card update.
Makhachev Defended Against Moicano
Makhachev submitted Moicano with a D’Arce choke at 4:05 of Round 1, earning his fourth successful lightweight title defense. The official event recap and official scorecards record the result.
How the main event changed
Moicano was already scheduled to compete against Beneil Dariush on the same card. When the title opportunity opened, he moved into the headliner against Makhachev, and Dariush did not compete at the event. The UFC’s replacement announcement explains the change.
The event took place at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. Instead of a rematch between Makhachev and Tsarukyan, the crowd saw the champion complete a first-round submission defense against a different challenger. The late switch changed both the main event and Moicano’s place on the card.
The championship context
Makhachev and Tsarukyan had first fought in 2019, when Tsarukyan made his UFC debut. Makhachev won that three-round contest by unanimous decision. Their scheduled 2025 meeting would have revisited the matchup with a world title at stake.
Before UFC 311, Makhachev’s championship run included a title-winning victory over Charles Oliveira, two successful defenses against Alexander Volkanovski and another against Dustin Poirier. The Moicano submission added a fourth defense to that sequence. It belongs to Makhachev’s lightweight title history, while the proposed Tsarukyan rematch remains part of the event’s buildup rather than its final results.
