LAS VEGAS – Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan squared off Friday for the first time since their UFC 311 headliner was announced.
Following a news conference held at MGM Grand Garden Arena, Makhachev (26-1 MMA, 15-1 UFC) and Tsarukyan (22-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) partook in an intense faceoff.
The lightweight title bout will serve as the Jan. 18 headliner for UFC 311 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif. The co-main event features a bantamweight title fight between champion Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov, who were also present at Friday’s event.
Makhachev and Tsarukyan fought in April 2019. Makhachev defeated the then-UFC debutant Tsarukyan by unanimous decision. Since then, Makhachev has skyrocketed to championship status, with two defenses against Alexander Volkanovski and one against Dustin Poirier. Meanwhile, Tsarukyan has solidified himself as the next title challenger with key wins over Beneil Darisuh and Charles Oliveira.
Check out the video of the faceoff above and photos of the news conference in the gallery below.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.
