Moicano Replaces Tsarukyan at UFC 311
The lightweight title rematch between Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan, set for Jan. 18, 2025, was called off after Tsarukyan withdrew with back issues. Renato Moicano stepped in, and Makhachev submitted him in the first round to retain the lightweight title.
Makhachev and Tsarukyan first met on April 20, 2019, when Makhachev won a unanimous decision. Their rematch was announced as the main event for Jan. 18, 2025, in Inglewood, California. The promotion’s preview of the rematch recapped their first meeting.
Tsarukyan withdrew because of back issues the day before the event, and Moicano replaced him in the title bout. The official card update announced the change. Makhachev then submitted Moicano with a D’Arce choke at 4:05 of Round 1, earning his fourth consecutive successful title defense. The official scorecards record the final result.
Why the original rematch mattered
Their first meeting was Tsarukyan’s UFC debut, making the proposed return bout a very different career milestone: a championship challenge after years of development. In Saint Petersburg in 2019, Makhachev prevailed over three rounds with scores of 30–27, 30–27 and 29–28, as recorded in the official event results.
That contest featured extensive grappling exchanges, with Makhachev pushing the pace into the final round. The promotion’s contemporary recap describes how he gained separation late in the fight. Those exchanges helped establish the sporting interest in seeing the pair compete again, this time over five scheduled rounds for the lightweight championship.
The late withdrawal meant UFC 311 could not answer that rematch question. Instead, the event produced a title defense against Moicano. The embedded preview remains part of the original build-up, while the confirmed opponent change and submission result explain what ultimately happened.
