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In an epic, action-packed bantamweight title match, Merab Dvalishvili defends his title against Umar Nurmagomedov.
Islam Makhachev successfully defended his lightweight championship belt after submitting 10th-ranked Renato Moicano in the first round of UFC 311.
The Russian mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter took four minutes and five seconds to earn his 15th straight victory at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California on Saturday.
Makhachev, who holds a record of 27 wins and one loss, was quick to choke his Brazilian opponent after taking him down quickly.
The 33-year-old Makhachev has the most title fights in the division with five and has accomplished what no other fighter in his division has done – successfully defended his belt four times. It was his 13th submission win.
“I like that belt,” said Makhachev, the UFC's top-ranked pound-for-pound fighter and the most decorated lightweight fighter ever. “If anyone wants that belt, come to the cage.”
Moicano was a last-minute replacement for top contender Arman Tsarukian, who pulled out of Friday's bout due to “significant back pain” related to an injury.
Brazil's Moicano, 35, entered with nine wins in his last 10 fights but found himself unable to keep up with Makhachev, whose grappling is second to none as he continues to prove why he is one of the best in the world.
Moicano was harsher on himself and said Makhachev was the better fighter. However, he worries that this may be his only chance at championship glory.
“It wasn't a day's notice,” Moicano said after the fight. “It was a notice of a lifetime. I'm very sorry. I spent my whole life for this moment and I hit him in the first round.”
Makhachev said he has no preference for his next opponent.
In an epic, action-packed bantamweight title match, champion Merab Dvalishvili was successful in his first title defense, extending his winning streak to 12 as he handed second-ranked contender Umar Nurmagomedov his first career loss.
The pace of the match saw both fighters dominate at various points in the fight, with Dvalishvili closing strong after two of the three judges had Nurmagomedov leading after the first two rounds.
Nurmagomedov said he felt he had broken his left hand and was unable to use it after the first round.
In a light heavyweight bout, former champion and second-ranked Jiri Prochazka used a flurry of strikes in the third round to defeat third-ranked Jamahal Hill, resulting in a three-minute stoppage for a complete knockout (TKO).
In the heavyweight division, sixth-ranked Jailton Almeida used a right hand to hurt seventh-ranked Serghei Spivac late in the first round and used a ground attack to end the bout with a TKO at 4:53.
Reinier de Ridder wasted no time in knocking out Kevin Holland approximately 10 seconds into their middleweight bout and finishing him with a backside choke at 3:31 of the first round.
