UFC 311 just went down at Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California. The show was massive and was filled with upsets and crazy finishes. I looked for the next matchup for every single winner of this card.
Islam Makhachev
Islam went out there against Moicano and entertained striking for a little while, until deciding to take the fight to the ground, where he quickly submitted the Brazilian. Record-breaking fourth title defence for seemingly unstoppable champion.
THE LIGHTWEIGHT KING KEEPS THE BELT! 👏@MAKHACHEVMMA gets the 1st round submission! #UFC311 pic.twitter.com/J2bHS78GfX
— UFC (@ufc) January 19, 2025
Next step: Tsarukyan rematch
A lot of people have turned away from the Armenian Batman after he pulled out the day of the biggest fight of his life. I don’t think it’s fair, as going into the fight with an injury is exactly what Dillashaw was criticized for back in October 2022, when he did exactly that and lost dominantly to Aljamain Sterling.
Arman is the most interesting fight for the champ in the division right now, and it is not even close.
Merab Dvalishvili
He just did it again! They were doubting him again, and he broke the elite fighter standing in front of him again. Absolutely chaotic fight, the type of fight Merab thrives in. Most likely losing the first two, he put on a pace Umar couldn’t deal with in the later stages of the bout. Both fighters also got an additional $50 000 for “Fight of the Night.”
Next step: O’malley rematch
The two best options for the dominator are two rematches: Yan and O’malley. Sean just lost his title to Merab in September last year, while Yan has gone through ups and downs for the past few years, now riding a two-fight streak. Both options are almost equally interesting, but let’s just give Dvalishvili a big check in the rematch with O’malley, shall we?
Jiri Prochazka
In an absolute fire fight, Jiri Prochazka finds Hill’s chin in the third and final round. Having rocked and been rocked tonight, samurai eventually knocked Jamahal out. Incredible feather in Prochazka’s cap.
CHAOS IN THE OCTAGON WHEN HE FIGHTS 🤩@Jiri_BJP achieves the Round 3 TKO!
[ #UFC311 LIVE on @ESPNPlus PPV ] pic.twitter.com/gHqRimgOvN
— UFC (@ufc) January 19, 2025
Next step: winner of Błachowicz vs. Ulberg
Jiri wants third fight with Alex… Having lost twice to the current champ, who is scheduled to fight Magomed Ankalaev in March, Jiri is unlikely to fight the winner of the next title bout. The winner of Jan Błachowicz vs. Carlos Ulberg, on the other hand, is a very likely option. In case it is Jan, we could get a legendary European scrap. If Ulberg beats the veteran, Prochazka appears as the last obstacle before the final boss, Alex Pereira.
Jailton Almeida
Almeida rocked Spivac on the feet and got the job done with nasty strikes from the back. Serghei surprised at the beginning, taking down the massive favourite, but was stopped by the end of the same round.
Next step: Ciryl Gane
Jailton is calling Gane out for the third time. After Ciryl’s controversial decision win over Volkov, to say he deserves to fight Aspinall would be a lie. Almeida and Gane are the highest ranked heavyweight to have not fought Tom Aspinall (besides, of course, Jon Jones).
Reinier de Ridder
De Ridder decided to shoot from the gates and he got it. Controlling Holland for the majority of the round, Reinier secures a rear naked choke, gets the tap. Amazing victory for Reiner de Ridder
Next step: Michel Pereira
3-1 in UFC Middleweight division, Michel Pereira lost his latest fight to Anthony Hernandez. Having struggled in a grappling-heavy fight, it is only right to test if Pereira actually learned. Reiner seems like he has plenty of potential in the UFC, so the ranked matchup would make sense for him as well.
Raoni Barcelos
Raoni Barcelos just beat Payton Talbott. The veteran used his wrestling throughout the fight and landed the vast majority of the takedowns he shot. Great control and ground and pound by Barcelos didn’t leave Talbott a chance. Undoubtedly, one of the biggest upsets in UFC history.
WHAT A NIGHT FOR @BarcelosRaoni! 👏
He gets the UD to close out the prelims! 🫡 #UFC311 pic.twitter.com/xxqiazozQ7
— UFC (@ufc) January 19, 2025
Next step: Pedro Munhoz
The next time UFC goes to Brazil, it is definitely the fight to make. Two Brazilian veterans, who made careers on beating up-and-comers. Both are getting up there in age at 37 and 38 years of age, respectively. So if you want to make that fight, you better make it now.
Azamat Bekoev
Azamat Bekoev just took Zachary Reese down, defended every submission attempt and ground-and-pounded him until the stoppage. Great debut win against a great opponent.
Next step: Brad Tavares
After his latest defeat to Jung Young Park, Tavares is 1-4 in his last five. Even though the opposition was strong, including even the current middleweight king Dricus Du Plessis, you can’t deny the decline. With good takedown defence and high level experience, Tavares would be a fascinating test for the Russian.
Bogdan Guskov
A worrying start for a ranked contender against debuting Billy Elekana. Elekana controlled Guskov from the back for the vast majority of the five minutes, but got reversed and caught in a tight rear naked choke at the last seconds. In the second, Bogdan finished the job, battering against the cage and submitting the seated opponent.
BOGDAN GUSKOV GETS THE FIRST FINISH OF THE NIGHT 💪
He gets the 2nd Round Submission! #UFC311 pic.twitter.com/Nd1k3sXBEb
— UFC (@ufc) January 19, 2025
Next step: Johnny Walker
Even after Johnny pulled out, this matchup still makes sense to me. Number 13 on a winning streak vs. number 10 on a skid. They are friends, but they accepted this fight before, so what would make them turn it down now?
Grant Dawson
Grant “KGD” Dawson just shut down Diego Ferreira for three straight rounds. Incredibly impressive if you look at Ferreira’s latest performance against Rebecki in comparison, even considering the man was celebrating his 40th birthday today.
Next step: Beneil Dariush
He knows what he wants next! 👏
[ #UFC311 | @DawsonGrant20y1 ] pic.twitter.com/vtqkQ41isl
— UFC (@ufc) January 19, 2025
Didn’t even have to think over this one, as Grant provided a respectful callout of Beneil right after the predictable scorecards were declared. Potentially very entertaining grappling clash on our hands, with Dawson’s dominant wrestling facing Beneil’s scrambly BJJ.
Ailin Perez
The Argentinian Ailin Perez beats Karol Rosa and gets into the top 10 of women’s bantamweight class. While the fight was quite passive, a good victory for Perez over highly-ranked contender.
Next step: the loser of Viera vs. Chiasson
The clash set up in the top 5 of Ailin’s division may very well decide her next opponent. Ketlen Viera is coming off a loss to Kayla Harrison, who many believe to be the best fighter in the weight class, while Chiasson got some momentum after her victories over Kianzad and Bueno-Silva.
Muin Gafurov
Muin Gafurov just snatched Rinya Nakamura’s ‘0’ without having to deal with his wrestling. You heard me right, Nakamura, World Wrestling Championships gold medalist, never shot a single takedown this fight. Quick movement and windmill overhands were enough for Muin to get the unanimous decision.
Next step: Ricky Simón
Coming off three defeats in a row, Ricky is in a tough spot in his career, taking on that Pedro Munhoz-like role of meeting fighters on a come up. Adding to that, the fact that Simón, unlike Nakamura, will most likely use his wrestling.
Bernardo Sopaj
Two semi-derailed prospects in Ricky Turcios and Bernardo Sopaj slugged it out in the second fight of the card, as neither wanted to take second loss in a row. Great striking showcase for the Swede, who came close to finishing Ricky in the third round. Sopaj won via unanimous decision.
WHAT A START TO ROUND 3 🤯#UFC311 pic.twitter.com/vKoJwLLN5J
— UFC (@ufc) January 19, 2025
Next step: Serhiy Sidey
Both are young guns of the 135-pound division, both already faced some barriers inside the Octagon. Serhiy, like Bernardo, is 1-1 in the promotion, with both his win and loss being controversial split decisions. In this matchup, we can see more clearly where both stand in the division, as it is a question for now.
Tagir Ulanbekov
Having some obstacles in a clash against undefeated Clayton Carpenter, Tagir Ulanbekov gets a pretty methodical victory. Tagir showed off both his striking and wrestling, taking the American down in every single round. Not the flashiest win, but the guy won every round on two of the judges’ scorecards.
Next step: Amir Albazi
Ulanbekov shot high with his post-fight callout of the champion, but lets all slow down a little bit. He just fought an unranked guy on the early prelims, so the title shot right after would be a huge bump up. That is not to say I’m completely against the idea of letting Tagir try and enter the title picture. Amir Albazi would be a great matchup, as he most recently got dominated by Brandon Moreno, yet he beat every single of his UFC opponents before and remains number three in the flyweight rankings.
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