UFC 311 FAQ: Latest on coach Khabib, California fires, blockbuster card updates

The UFC didn’t mess around when they made their January schedule. Mixed martial arts action resumed this past weekend after a four-week hiatus with a fight night card packed with highlights, and the first numbered pay-per-view event of 2025 is a blockbuster with two key championship contests set to take place this weekend at UFC 311.

There’s rarely a shortage of stories during a match week, and this one is no exception. In fact, the drama so far and the potential for more variables later this week has fans collectively on edge.

The week began with a prominent former champion and current trainer being removed from a plane. And dangerous fires are still raging in California close to where Saturday’s event is scheduled to take place.

With that in mind, here are some key questions and what you need to know this week ahead of UFC 311: Makhachev vs. Tsarukyan 2.

Where and when does it take place?

UFC 311 is slated to be the organization’s first event located at the new Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.

It is currently scheduled for Saturday and the UFC has not announced any changes despite the ongoing state of emergency.

Could the fires in California affect the event?

The short answer so far is that they are not expected to. UFC 311 is still scheduled to go ahead as scheduled.

UFC president and CEO Dana White was filmed talking to a streamer named Adin Ross on Saturday, saying about UFC 311: “We’ll move it to Vegas if (the fire) gets too bad, but right now it’s all a trip. The NBA is leaving this week.”

The NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers both had home games postponed within the past week, and both are expected to return to home games Monday for the first time since the ongoing fires began ravaging the state.

The Clippers play at the Intuit Dome, host of UFC 311, while the Lakers play at the nearby Crypto.com Arena in LA

In the NFL, Monday’s NFC wild-card game between the Minnesota Vikings and the host LA Rams had already been moved to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.

The UFC’s headquarters are located in Las Vegas. The organization regularly holds events at the UFC Apex, which cannot accommodate many spectators. They also host several events at the T-Mobile Arena annually. This venue, which is also home to the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights, currently has no events booked for January 18, should an eleventh-hour contingency plan be considered.

UFC 311 offers a 14-fight lineup filled with world-class talent, including a stacked main card capped by back-to-back championship contests.

Lightweight king and current no. 1-ranked pound-for-pound talent on the UFC roster, Islam Makhachev, will look to defend his title in a rematch against Arman Tsarukyan in the anticipated main event.

The 155-pound pair met in April 2019, with Makhachev emerging with a three-round unanimous decision victory in a bout that earned both men a Fight of the Night performance bonus. Tsarukyan made his UFC debut on relatively short notice, and Makhachev was not yet a title contender. Makhachev has gone 9-0 and has been crowned champion since their first meeting, while Tsarukyan has compiled a 9-1 record on his way to becoming the top contender.

Co-main events don’t get much better than new champion Merab Dvalishvili making his first defense against the undefeated and highly touted Umar Nurmagomedov. Dvalishvili has won 11 in a row in the UFC; Nurmagomedov is 18-0 as a pro and 6-0 under the UFC banner thus far.

Former 205-pound titleholders Jiri Prochazka and Jamahal Hill also go toe-to-toe on the main card in a fan-friendly style matchup.

— Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan

— Merab Dvalishvili vs. Umar Nurmagomedov

— Jiri Prochazka vs. Jamal Hill

— Beneil Dariush vs. Renato Moicano

— Kevin Holland vs. Reinier de Ridder

The preliminary card has undergone a few tweaks this week, including light heavyweight Johnny Walker pulling out of his scheduled bout with Bogdan Guskov.

Walker announced over the weekend that he was out of his featured game after suffering an unspecified “bad injury” in training. It is unclear how long Walker, who was struck out twice in 2024, will remain sidelined.

The UFC announced Monday that newcomer Billy Elekana will make his debut against Guskov in Walker’s place. Elekana, 29, is 7-1 as a pro with experience in both the PFL and LFA organizations and earned a knockout victory in under two minutes his last time out. Guskov, 32, has won two in a row in the UFC, including a TKO of Ryan Spann last April.

Sedriques Dumas is out of his scheduled middleweight bout with Zachary Reese for undisclosed reasons and has been replaced by LFA 185-pound champion Azamat Bekoev.

Reese is 8-1 in MMA after a 2-0 2024, while Bekoev is 18-3 and a six-fight winning streak dating back to 2021.

— Bogdan Guskov vs. Billy Elekana

— Payton Talbott vs. Raoni Barcelos

— Jailton Almeida vs. Sergei Spivac

— Zachary Reese vs. Azamat Bekoev

— Grant Dawson vs. Carlos Diego Ferreira

— Karol Rosa vs. Aileen Perez

— Rinya Nakamura vs. Muin Gafurov

— Ricky Turcios vs. Bernardo Sopaj

— Tagir Ulanbekov vs. Clayton Carpenter

Why is ‘Coach Khabib’ in the spotlight this week?

Khabib Nurmagomedov will be a key figure this week as the trainer and corner man for both his longtime teammate Islam Makhachev and his cousin Umar Nurmagomedov.

Since retiring from MMA competition in 2020 with a 29-0 pro record, Nurmagomedov has taken on a greater leadership role with his team, routinely earning wins and world titles. His second cousin, Umar’s younger brother Usman, is competing for a title at a PFL event later this month, meaning an eventful January for Khabib won’t end at UFC 311.

The 36-year-old from Dagestan, Russia, endured a dramatic start to his fight week when he was removed from a flight scheduled to take off from Las Vegas and land in California following a misunderstanding over the weekend.

The MMA star released a statement about the experience. Although Nurmagomedov was descheduled, the retired fighter boarded another flight several hours later and will be in California with his students until the fights on Saturday.

What else is planned for match week?

Sportsnet’s Aaron Bronsteter and Arden Zwelling will be on the scene in California, so stay tuned to Sportsnet.ca for exclusive content and one-on-one fighter interviews. UFC welterweight contender Mike Malott will also be in town with Sportsnet covering the action.

Media day: Official UFC 311 media events begin Wednesday, when participating athletes will address assembled reporters.

Pre-fight press conference: UFC 311 main card athletes will take part in the Intuit Dome on Thursday starting at approximately 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT. It’s available to stream live on Sportsnet+ and who knows what might happen?

The last time Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov attended a press conference together, they had to be separated by security backstage. A confrontation took place in Las Vegas in December when Dvalishvili felt he was being slighted by his would-be opponent.

Official weigh-in: All participating fighters must step on the scale on Friday during the allotted weigh-in window beginning at 12:00 PM ET/ 9 a.m. PT at UFC Apex. Makhachev and Tsarukyan must weigh no more than 155 pounds, while Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov must hit 135 pounds for their title fights to become official.

Ceremonial weigh-in: Later on Friday, when all official weights have been recorded and the athletes have begun to rehydrate, the opponents will meet on the stage of the Intuit Dome on the eve of the card. These weigh-ins are expected to begin at approximately 7:00 PM ET / 4:00 PM PT and will be available for live streaming on Sportsnet+.

The UFC’s go-to broadcast trio of Jon Anik, Joe Rogan and Daniel Cormier will be on the call at UFC 311, reuniting for the first time since December’s UFC 310 in Las Vegas.

Anik, Rogan and Cormier were together on the call for Tsarukyan’s most recent win at UFC 300 last year, but it’s been a while, the same can be said for one of Makhachev’s fights.

In fact, this will be the first time Rogan has called a Makhachev fight from cageside since the current champion’s 2021 submission win over Drew Dober at UFC 259 in Las Vegas.

Rogan has not worked the UFC’s international events in recent years, and Makhachev regularly fights overseas. Rogan also did not work UFC 302 during Makhachev’s most recent title defense, which took place in New Jersey.

Cormier is also a teammate of Makhachev and has known both him and Nurmagomedov for much of their careers, so the former two-weight champion should be able to provide some unique insight.