Quick results
Main Card (10 p.m. ET) (PPV)
- Islam Makhachev def. Renato Moicano via Submission, D’Arce Choke (RD 1, 4:05) (UFC Lightweight Championship)
- Merab Dvalishvili def. Umar Nurmagomedov via Decision, Unanimous (UFC Bantamweight Championship)
- Jiri Prochazka def. Jamahal Hill via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 3:01)
- Jailton Almeida def. Serghei Spivac via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 4:53)
- Reinier de Ridder def. Kevin Holland via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 3:31)
Preliminary Card (8 p.m. ET) (ESPNews / ESPN+)
- Raoni Barcelos def. Payton Talbott via Decision, Unanimous
- Azamat Bekoev def. Zach Reese via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 3:04)
- Bogdan Guskov def. Billy Elekana via Submission, Guillotine Choke (RD 2, 3:33)
- Grant Dawson def. Diego Ferreira via Decision, Unanimous
Early Prelims (6 p.m. ET) (ESPN+ / UFC Fight Pass)
- Ailin Perez def. Karol Rosa via Decision, Unanimous
- Muin Gafurov def. Rinya Nakamura via Decision, Unanimous
- Bernardo Sopaj def. Ricky Turcios via Decision, Unanimous
- Tagir Ulanbekov def. Clayton Carpenter via Decision, Unanimous
Islam Makhachev makes quick work of fill-in opponent Renato Moicano
Islam Makhachev is still your pound-for-pound best MMA fighter in the world.
The UFC Lightweight Champion held onto his belt on Saturday night, putting away short-notice opponent Renato Moicano in the opening round with a D’Arce Choke.
Makhachev took Moicano to the mat just halfway through the fight’s opening round, taking the fight onto the canvas after a slow-paced stand-up battle started things off. The overwhelming grappling skills of Makhachev meant that the fight didn’t go much longer after that moment, as he slipped in a choke to force a tap from Moicano just over a minute later.
“I’m always looking for a finish … If my opponent gives me a small chance, I will close the night,” Makhachev said in his post-fight interview.
Makhachev meeting Moicano was an 11th-hour change to UFC 311, a move which came out of desperation after the show’s original headliner fell through.
On Friday morning, Makhachev was expected to face top-ranked lightweight Arman Tsarukyan in a rematch. However, after a back injury caused Tsarukyan to withdraw from the card a little over a day before the event, Moicano was slipped into the headlining spot.
Moicano was already booked to appear on Saturday against Beneil Dariush, meaning he didn’t have to suddenly start training for a fight on a weekend when he wasn’t booked. But the 10th-ranked lightweight wasn’t expecting to prepare for a five-round fight, nor was he planning to meet one of the division’s most successful names ever.
“I’m very sad,” Moicano said afterward. “I spent my whole life for this moment and I tapped in the first round. Islam was much better than me today. I have so much to say but now is not the right time. I’m not done. I don’t know if I will ever get a chance like that again, but I will try my best.”
Moicano had a four-fight winning streak, including wins over notable talents like Benoit Saint-Denis and Jalin Turner, broken with his loss to Makhachev.
While he didn’t face the high-calibre opponent he was originally booked to meet, Makhachev still made history on Saturday. UFC 311’s main event result made Makhachev the only lightweight champ to defend his title four times or more, with past victories coming against Dustin Poirier and a pair of fights against Alexander Volkanovski.
Merab Dvalishvili holds onto bantamweight belt with comeback performance against Umar Nurmagomedov
Merab Dvalishvili out-worked Umar Nurmagomedov in a highly competitive five-round contest, keeping the UFC Bantamweight Championship in his possession and handing the Russian contender his first loss with a unanimous decision result.
Dvalishvili put on an impressive come-from-behind performance against Nurmagomedov in Saturday’s co-main event, struggling in the opening rounds but using his unreal pace to break the challenger in the later rounds.
Nurmagomedov gained an early lead in the fight, having the better striking in what was primarily a stand-up battle for the first 10 minutes. While Dvalishvili had sloppier, more hectic flurries of shots, Nurmagomedov got through with crisper boxing against the champ in the opening rounds.
Both fighters briefly toyed with the idea of going for takedowns in the first couple of frames, but wrestling hadn’t yet become such an important part of the matchup.
After going down two rounds on a pair of official scorecards, Dvalishvili started to climb back with his incredibly busy and intense fighting style which Nurmagomedov failed to counter. The champ’s striking output matched with an increased focus on wrestling which put him in control of the fight as they moved into deep waters.
Dvalishvili started to not only challenge Nurmagomedov with takedown attempts but actually get him on the canvas numerous times in the fight, albeit for just moments at a time. Later rounds saw the patented wrestling-heavy style of Dvalishvili come alive, officially attempting a dozen takedowns in the final five minutes of the fight.
Nurmagomedov failed to match the relentless pace of Dvalishvili, showing visible signs of fatigue in the later rounds. By the end of the bout, the solid two-round lead he had built early slipped away entirely and thus caused his first pro loss.
Dvalishvili, who entered this weekend as an underdog, has now defended his bantamweight title for the first time. He first gained the belt in September, going the distance against Sean O’Malley to hand the striker his second pro loss. Overall, he’s now on an impressive run of 12 wins since 2018.
Nurmagomedov boasted an impressive record of 18 wins heading into Saturday, including six inside the UFC cage. While he previously had many notable performances against names like Raoni Barcelos and Nate Maness, it was a five-round performance against Cory Sandhagen last summer which elevated him to title contender status.
Jiri Prochazka finds late finish against Jamahal Hill
Second-ranked light heavyweight contender Jiri Prochazka returned to the win column against Jamahal Hill, stopping the fellow former champ in the third round to close out a back-and-forth striking war.
After two-and-a-half rounds of both fighters having strong moments on the feet, a clean two-hook combination from Pereira put Hill in more trouble than seen before in the clash. Hill went crashing down to the canvas, rocked hard by the shot.
A tough Hill survived the moment but found himself struggling greatly once he returned to his feet. An aggressive Prochazka chased him down with more shots, scoring an uppercut while in a clinch which got Hill down onto the mat once again. Prochazka then delivered punches to a covered-up Hill until the fight was stopped.
The light heavyweight clash was anyone’s fight as it went into the final round. Prochazka had a strong opening frame, stunning Hill early with a left hook and out-landing him overall through five minutes. But Hill had a stronger second round, going to the head and body of Prochazka as he started to retake control of the fight.
Prochazka noted afterward that he has a tendency to trade shots with opponents, something he undoubtedly did at times against Hill. “Sometimes I need to catch some punches to release the true Jiri Prochazka,” he said.
The win got some momentum back for Prochazka following his UFC 303 loss to current light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira. While it was announced Saturday that Pereira is booked to meet Magomed Ankalaev in March, Prochazka stated his intention to meet Pereira for a trilogy fight in the future.
Hill was similarly coming back after losing to Pereira last year, getting stopped in the first round of their matchup at UFC 300. He’s now on a two-fight skid for the first time in his career.
Jailton Almeida stops Serghei Spivac in the first round
Sixth-ranked heavyweight Jailton Almeida picked up another quick win this weekend, finishing Serghei Spivac in the closing moments of a hectic one-round fight with hard ground and pound shots.
Almeida, a highly proficient grappler, put Spivac to the mat with a takedown after stinging him with a combination of punches to the head. The Brazilian heavyweight got on the back of Spivac shortly after the takedown, throwing a quick series of punches from the position until referee Jason Herzog stepped in to end the fight.
Almeida has now earned back-to-back first-round finish wins, putting him back on track after a loss last March to Curtis Blaydes slowed his rise in the division. He previously submitted Alexandr Romanov in just over two-and-a-half rounds, catching him last year with a rear naked choke.
Following his win, Almeida eyed a fight against second-ranked heavyweight contender Ciryl Gane.
“Ciryl Gane, stop running away,” Almeida said during his post-fight interview. “Brazil, France, wherever you want.”
Spivac was coming off a quick submission win against Marcin Tybura in the main event of a UFC Fight Night card last August.
Reinier de Ridder continues recent troubles for Kevin Holland
Former two-division ONE champion Reinier de Ridder had a quick outing on Saturday night, using his grappling to put away Kevin Holland in the opening round.
De Ridder opted to avoid a stand-up exchange with the always hectic Holland early, scoring a takedown in the opening moments of the fight. After a few minutes of landing punches from top control, the Dutch fighter took Holland’s back.
It was only a few moments later that de Ridder slipped on a rear naked choke, forcing Holland to tap out.
De Ridder has now picked up a pair of wins since joining the UFC roster in late 2024. He previously won his debut against another experienced name in Gerald Meerschaert, finding an arm triangle choke in the third round of their clash.
After his win Saturday, de Ridder called for a fight against one of the division’s top-five ranked names.
The recent defeat continues struggles for Holland, who has lost in four of his last five appearances. His prior appearance, a UFC 307 matchup against Roman Dolidze, saw him exit after one round due to a rib injury.
Prelim results: Payton Tablott suffers first loss, Azamat Bekoev debuts with quick finish win
-1050 favorite Payton Talbott suffered his first pro setback in the featured prelim of the night, losing in a huge upset result to veteran Raoni Barcelos. Work on the ground from Barcelos – pursuing submissions and scoring with punches while on top – allowed him to win quite comfortably on scorecards, ending the nine-fight undefeated record of Talbott. The main focus was on Talbott heading into this weekend, as past stoppage wins including a 19-second victory from June made him one of the division’s more hyped prospects.
Former LFA Middleweight Champion Azamat Bekoev entered the UFC roster with a bang, knocking Zach Reese out cold early with hard ground and pound shots. Powerful punches from Bekoev from the top position put Reese to sleep, ending the fight in just over three minutes. Bekoev was a short-notice fighter, stepping in after Sedriques Dumas withdrew from the card. Reese had a streak of two UFC wins stopped with Saturday’s result. Bekoev offered his support to firefighters in Los Angeles following this win: “Firefighters, you’re real fighters,” he said.
Bogdan Guskov overcame a potential early upset loss, later putting away short-notice promotional newcomer Billy Elekana to earn his third consecutive UFC victory. Guskov followed up a flurry of shots against a seated and defeated Elekana in the second round with a guillotine choke, causing a tap to end the fight. The stoppage came minutes after Guskov found himself in trouble, taken down early in the first round and fending off a rear naked choke from the UFC rookie. Guskov was given Elekana after his original opponent Johnny Walker withdrew from the card.
Grant Dawson put on a grinding performance against 40-year-old vet Diego Ferreira, using his overwhelming ground control to dominate the fight for three rounds and take a scorecard win. Dawson has now earned three victories within a year’s time, previously also beating Joe Solecki and Rafa Garcia. Afterward, he called for a matchup against Beneil Dariush, who was set to appear this evening before a reshuffling of the lineup. Ferreira had a two-fight winning streak brought to an end with Saturday’s result.
Ailin Perez kept her strong run at bantamweight alive on Saturday night, getting a unanimous decision win over Karol Rosa which will move her into the 135-pound division’s top 10. Control on the ground for Perez in the first and second rounds was the most notable action in the fight, allowing her to walk away with a fifth consecutive win since mid-2023 and get past the division’s ninth-ranked contender.
A wrestling gameplan from Rinya Nakamura was too little, too late against Muin Gafurov, causing him to take his first pro loss in a unanimous decision outcome on Saturday. Nakamura got Gafurov to the mat and attempted a guillotine choke by the third round, but the moment came after he already lost a large part of the fight in a lopsided stand-up battle. Nakamura entered this weekend with an undefeated record of nine wins, including two past wins on the roster and a Road To UFC tournament run. Gafurov has now earned back-to-back wins when including his 2024 performance against veteran Kang Kyung-ho.
Bernardo Sopaj landed the better shots in a messy three-round brawl against The Ultimate Fighter season 29 winner Ricky Turcios, out-landing the American overall and dropping him in the third round with punches to win via decision. The Swedish-Albanian bantamweight now has his first UFC win, bouncing back from a knockout loss in his debut last year against Vinicius Oliviera. Turcios, on the other hand, has won two of his four appearances since appearing on TUF in 2021.
Team Khabib kicked off the night with a win when Tagir Ulanbekov picked up a unanimous decision win against Clayton Carpenter. Ulanbekov, who was making his first appearance in over a year, mainly used his skills on the ground to put together the better damage and control Carpenter through 15 minutes. The fight snapped an eight-bout undefeated record for Carpenter, which included a pair of past UFC outings.
