Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan will headline UFC 311 on Jan. 18, the promotion’s first pay-per-view card of the year. They will fight for the lightweight title in a rematch of their UFC Fight Night 149 clash in 2019.
The Dagestani defeated Tsarukyan in their first meeting, securing a unanimous decision win after a competitive three-round bout. Since their fight in 2019, the pair share a combined record of 18-1 inside the octagon.
Despite the competitive nature of their first fixture, Makhachev will enter the rematch as a massive -380 favorite according to some sportsbooks. A former opponent of both fighters, Charles Oliveira, recently broke down the lightweight title matchup during an interview with The Schmo.
‘Do Bronx’ said:
“50/50. I do believe they are two tough fighters, I do believe that Islam has got a little step ahead just because of the fact that he’s got some of that striking. I’ve seen Arman training, he’s trained really hard. I’m putting it at 50/50, but it doesn’t matter, who ever it is, I’m coming for [the title].” [Translated by Fabiano Bruskei]
Catch Charles Oliveira’s take on the Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan matchup below (3:10):