Biggest Fights to Make After UFC 311
UFC 311 saw Islam Makhachev make history as the UFC Lightweight Champion. He just broke the record for most title wins and defenses in that division. He has also now joined the top three for longest UFC win streaks, cementing himself as an all-time great. There were many great fights on this card, leading to even better fights in the future. Here are some fights that the UFC needs to make after the first PPV of 2025.
Islam Makhachev vs Arman Tsarukyan
Islam Makhachev fought Renato Moicano in the main event of UFC 311, though he was originally scheduled to rematch Arman Tsarukyan. Unfortunately, Tsarukyan was forced to pull out of this bout on short notice due to injury. Makhachev made light work of Moicano in their fight as he won the fight via first-round submission, which means no double Tsarukyan would have been the tougher opponent. Although Dana White has already confirmed that Tsarukyan will not earn the next title shot, he’ll likely be facing the champion either later in 2025 or in early 2026. Their first fight saw Makhachev win by decision, and with his much-improved striking and excellent submission game, the same result could happen if these two were to run it back.
Merab Dvalishvili vs Petr Yan
Even though UFC Bantamweight Champion Merab Dvalishvili believed that Petr Yan deserved to be his first title defense at UFC 311, it ended up being the undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov instead. Undefeated no more, though, as Merab was able to defeat the cousin of Khabib in what was one of the greatest spectacles ever witnessed. The two went back and forth and showed excellent displays of grappling, with Dvalishvili ultimately winning the fight by decision and handing Umar his first career loss. Now that he has defeated the man many believed would take his title, Merab could put his focus back on a rematch with Yan. In their first meeting, Merab controlled the fight and secured a decision victory. Given his dominant performances since claiming the title, it’s safe to say he won’t be losing it anytime soon.
Jailton Almeida vs Cyril Gane
In the second fight on the UFC 311 main card, Jailton Almeida made short work of his opponent Serghei Spivac as he was able to TKO him in the first round. This firmly cements Almeida as a top-five heavyweight in the UFC, who should be getting nothing but a top-five opponent in his next fight. The Brazilian is aware of this, as in his post-fight interview, he called out the number two contender in the division, Cyril Gane. Gane is coming off a controversial victory over Alexander Volkov, which is a fight that many, including UFC President Dana White, believed had the wrong winner. White also stated that even though Gane technically won the fight, Volkov is ahead of him when it comes to any potential title shots. This means that Gane now needs to prove himself once more, and an opponent like Almeida would be the perfect way for him to do so.
