Tsarukyan out of UFC 311, Makhachev to defend title vs. Moicano

LOS ANGELES — The UFC’s first pay-per-view occasion of 2025 underwent a serious change Friday, as light-weight title challenger Arman Tsarukyan was pressured out of Saturday’s UFC 311 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood with a again harm.

UFC light-weight champion Islam Makhachev (26-1) will now defend his title in opposition to Renato Moicano (22-3), who was scheduled to struggle Beneil Dariush on the cardboard. UFC CEO Dana White introduced the change Friday morning through the official weigh-ins.

“[Tsarukyan] knowledgeable us that he was experiencing important again ache,” White mentioned. “As a result of harm, he looks like he’s not wholesome sufficient to compete. Stepping in to face him is Renato Moicano.”

Tsarukyan, 28, was on tempo to make weight however suffered the again harm.

“I remorse to tell everybody that the information is that I needed to pull out of UFC 311 with a again harm is true,” Tsarukyan mentioned. “This was the toughest choice I’ve ever needed to make in my combating profession. I want to thank the UFC for understanding and I sit up for competing for my first UFC championship sooner or later.”

Makhachev, who’s looking for the fourth protection of his 155-pound championship, informed ESPN in an announcement he did not thoughts the last-minute change.

“Champions don’t select opponents,” Makhachev mentioned. “So long as there’s somebody who could make 155, I will struggle anybody.”

Moicano (20-5-1) is on a four-fight profitable streak and ranked No. 10 within the division. He’s coming off a second-round stoppage of Benoit Saint-Denis in September.

Dariush mentioned on his Instagram account that he’s off Saturday’s card.