UFC 311: MAKHACHEV vs MOICANO takes place Saturday, January 18 at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. The main card starts at 10pm ET/7pm PT on ESPN+ PPV. The prelims will be available at 8pm ET/5pm PT on FX, ESPN News, Disney+ and simulcast in English and Spanish on ESPN+. The early prelims kick off at 6pm ET/3pm PT on ESPN+, Disney+ and UFC FIGHT PASS. Makhachev (26-1) has compiled a 15-1 record with the UFC, racking up 10 finishes (seven submissions, three knockouts) and five decisions. Makhachev captured the vacant UFC lightweight title in October 2022 with a submission win over former UFC 155-pound titleholder Charles Oliveira. Makhachev has defended his crown three times since defeating Oliveira. His first two title defenses were a decision win and knockout of then-UFC featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski. In his most recent outing, Makhachev submitted former UFC interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC 302.

Hill benefitted from Prochazka’s injury, claiming the vacant title with a win over Glover Teixeira at the start of 2023. Unfortunately, he too was forced to abdicate the throne as a result of an injury and, like Prochazka, his return to action also resulted in a stoppage loss at the hands of Pereira. These two were all but assured of fighting after Hill won the title, with the pair exchanging messages with another on social media, setting the stage for a showdown later in the year. It never came to pass, as Hill’s injury and available opportunities kept them separated until now. While both remain elite talents in the light heavyweight division, this has a real “do or die” feel to it given their individual histories with the champ, so expect both to come out looking to make a statement on Saturday night.

The first pay-per-view main card of the year opens in the middleweight division, as the always active Kevin Holland steps in with Reinier de Ridder. Holland split a pair of bouts while returning to the middleweight division last summer, collecting a first-round submission win over Michal Oleksiejczuk at UFC 302 before a rib injury prompted his corner to halt his UFC 306 engagement with Roman Dolidze between the first and second rounds. The 32-year-old “Trailblazer” has always relished the opportunity to compete as frequently as possible, and with a start on the second card of the year, it’s possible we see Holland take a run at the record for the most fights in one calendar year in 2025.

Guskov dropped his short-notice promotional debut to Volkan Oezdemir, but rebounded impressively last year, earning consecutive stoppage wins and Performance of the Night bonuses to force his way into the Top 15. Elekana steps in for Johnny Walker, looking to produce a Hollywood ending to his trip to Los Angeles this weekend, entering with a 7-1 record and his sights set on beating a ranked opponent right out of the chute. Japanese prospect Rinya Namakura returns to action at UFC 311, facing off with Muin Gafurov of Tajikistan. After being the breakout star of the first season of Road to UFC and following up his tournament win with a victory over Fernie Garcia, the 29-year-old Nakamura made just a single appearance in 2024, besting short-notice opponent Carlos Vera on the scorecards. Sporting a 19-5 record, Gafurov is the most experienced foe Nakamura has faced to date, and heads into this weekend’s pairing having collected a unanimous decision win over Kyung Ho Kang last time out.