UFC 311 Pre-Fight Matchups

The UFC kicks off 2025 with a premier fight card after a month of no fights or events, promising high level matchups top to bottom in one of the can’t-miss events of the year. UFC 311 held at the brand new Intuit Dome in Los Angeles California, is stacked with big talent and fights that will shape divisional landscapes for the year to come. Coming up at UFC 311…

In the first fight of the year, fan favorite and UFC Staple, Kevin Holland (26-12) takes on relative newcomer and former One Championship Middleweight Champion, Reinier De Ridder (18-2). This fight looks to be one of those fights that plays into the moniker “styles make fights.” Self Proclaimed “Kung Fu” fighter Kevin Holland standing at 6’3”, is a striking heavy contender in the UFC’s Middleweight Division, matching up against De Ridder standing at 6’4” who favors the takedown/ground and pound. Netherland’s Reinier De Ridder has found much success in other promotions only recording two losses (in title fights) to the first simultaneous triple champion in MMA History, One Championship’s Anatoly Malykhin. De Ridder records one fight in the UFC where he won via submission over the formidable Gerald Meerschaert in the 3rd round in a back and forth bout.  It almost feels like we know what were gonna get from Kevin Holland, a lot of funny trash talk, some big shots landed, and takedowns defended. The key to Holland’s victory is too land huge shots, keep the fight on the feet, and push the pace. On the other hand, Reinier De Ridder offers a style resembling Derek Brunson, a former top 5 contender in the middleweight division, fighting almost drunk and brawler-like. He baits and invites the opponent to blitz with his unpolished standup fighting where he looks to convert to the clinch and a get the takedown. If Kevin Holland gets taken down, it’ll be a tough night for the fighter, but not over as Kevin has shown his affinity for submissions. Most notably finishing Michael Chiesa via brabo choke, a very dangerous grappler. This matchup is really anyones game. It heavily depends on the version of Kevin Holland we get stepping into the octagon on January 18th. Not to be taken lightly, Reinier De Ridder has something to prove in the UFC still, paired with his undeniable ability to win fights, it might be just enough to give him the edge in this matchup.

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The second bout of the evening features a set of veterans in the UFC’s Lightweight Division, USA’s (9) Beniel Dariush (22-6-1) and Brazilian star (10) Renato “Money” Moicano (20-5-1). This matchup trends towards a finish, so be prepared for that at any point in the three rounds. If this fight ends in a decision, there will be visual damage on both fighters. Dariush has been a silent killer in the lightweight division for a very long time, proving himself against top class talent for years, including, an 8 fight win streak that was recently snapped in 2023 by Former Lightweight Champion Charles “Do Bronx” Oliveira. His last fight, against the title challenger Arman Tsarukyan, didn’t go his way either as he was finished by way of TKO in the first round leavinf him to consider retirement. These tough results don’t summarize the killer instincts of Benny Dariush however. His ability to punish the mistakes of his opponent have exalted his career into the top 5 of the division. Standing across the octagon is the red hot Renato “Money” Moicano. Moicano is all about his money and his fighting style and media antics reflect it. He had a big year in 2024, winning 3 fights, the most recent an absolute bludgeoning of the Frenchman Benoit St Denis. “Money” Moicano has been in the UFC since 2014, but has found recent adoration from the fans making him a favorite anywhere he fights in the world. His ground game is extremely dangerous and the threat alone might make Dariush think twice about going there. Moicano is on an exciting run and very well could walk through Dariush, only considering the question of Dariush’s form as of late. Dariush is no cake walk and with similar age, height and reach between the two fighters this is anyones game. It has to be said that the win for Moicano does way more for his positioning among top contenders than does a win for Dariush. Dariush is looking to stop the bleeding and to firmly plant his stake among the best in the division as well. However, the nature of Moicano’s recent momentum, a win might just might land him a career defining opportunity.

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The third fight of the evening turns it up a notch as we get the titanic light heavyweight matchup years in the making of Former Interim Light Heavyweight Champion (3) Jamahal “Sweet Dreams” Hill (12-2, 1 NC) taking on Czechia’s last samurai and Former Light Heavyweight Champion, (2) Jiri Prochazka (30-5-1). Both fighters are coming off a loss to the Light Heavyweight Champion and quite possibly the most dangerous fighter the UFC has seen in a very long time, Alex “Poatan” Pereira. This fight has massive implications for each of the fighter’s futures in this division. Both Hill and Prochazka need this win to keep their names in the mix for a title shot. This fight’s ambiguity lies heavily in the fact that Magomed Ankalaev,  the clear top contender for a title shot, is expected to get the next chance at gold, but recent news and tweets from the Champion Alex “Poaton” Pereira suggests the UFC have stalled out this fight for something “bigger” for the champion. Hill is looking to avenge his UFC 300 title loss to Pereira on his pursuit of the undisputed title, but the man standing across from him on January 18th is one of the most dynamic strikers in the division. Jiri Prochazka offers a tricky puzzle for many fighters to solve with a multitude of weapons from the feet. Jiri relies on his footwork and straight shots down the middle to break his opponents down, often leading to brutal highlight-reel finishes. On the contrary, Jamahal Hill’s hands possess supernatural power. To make a comparison to one of the hottest football programs in the country as of late, Deion Sanders’s Colorado Buffaloes, Deion doesn’t believe in captains, he believes in leaders and dogs. Jamahal Hill would be one of these dogs. Hill isn’t the most technical, doesn’t possess the best ground game, but he reminds us of the real nature of MMA. At the end of the day, when you put people out on their feet, you don’t need to look like the second coming of Conor Mcgregor. Jamahal will look to use his low kicks to break down the movement of Jiri all while dealing big damage with his hands. Jiri’s keys to victory might be to work takedowns as that has been the struggle of Hill’s game for awhile now against top level contenders. These two individual fighters know how to put on a show however, so expect this fight to remain on the feet for a few rounds with both fighters giving and taking big damaging shots. This fight can really go either way and cant thoroughly be predicted, however the biggest factor might be unseen to the human eye, the mental aspect of this game. Jiri Prochazka has this mystique about him that captures the fans attention cultivated by many videos on the internet of him training in the woods punching trees, blindfolded, in the snow. Who is this guy? Does Jamahal Hill see what everyone sees? Jiri is obviously different in a scary way. Will the gravity of both fighters previous loss by KO create doubts in their abilities. Either guy can beat the other on any given night, but who shows up on January 18th?

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The Co-Main Event of the evening is a Massive fight for the UFC’s Bantamweight Division. It features Bantamweight Champion from Georgia (C) Merab Dvalishvilli (18-4), taking on first time title challenger, the undefeated Dagestani (2) Umar Nurmagomedov (18-0). Merab Dvalishvilli is on a heater 11-fight win streak coming off a convincing win over “Suga” Sean O’Malley at UFC 306 in a pioneering event at The Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada. This will be Merab’s first title defense in his career looking to cement his name amongst the best bantamweights to ever do it. Hoping to spoil the party is the undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov from Dagestan, Russia. Training at American Top Team in Coconut Creek Florida, Umar is a dangerous mix of kickboxing and the overwhelming sambo wrestling style that defines many fighters from the Dagestani region. Umar’s proof is in the pudding with an impressive undefeated record that mimics the career of his legendary cousin Khabib Nurmagomedov. Umar is coming off a decision win over (4) Cory Sandhagen, a dynamic striker who has been floating around at the top of the division for years. The direction of this fight is pretty clear, either Umar gets Merab out of there within the five rounds, or it’ll go to decision. Despite the blockbuster names on the resume of Dvalishvilli, Merab is touted as one of the most boring fighters in the company relying mostly on his wrestling pressure. Of his previous 11 wins, 10 have gone to decision, with 1 win by KO over Former Bantamweight Champion Marlon Moraes. At this point we know what we’re going to get with Merab Dvalishvilli, but this fight really could be set up as a showcase for Umar to come in and prove himself to be the real champion of the division. If Umar wins, the bantamweight division will have plenty of exciting title fights for him for the next few years. The only question still remaining surrounding Umar’s career is the level of competition he has seen thus far. Apart from Cory Sandhagen, Umar really hasn’t fought any big names. This doesn’t mean he isn’t ready, however the stage is set to answer that question at the brand new Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. Merab parallels the career of his close friend and training partner, Former Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling. Both fighters have had a series of undeniable wins and successes, but one crucial component misses for both fighters, the respect of their peers, fans, and at times the UFC itself. The chip on the shoulder of Merab having something to prove still, might be just enough to grind out another win in this high level matchup. With all of this being said, the edge should be given to the title challenger because history does repeat itself, and it tends to be a bad bet to go against the Dagestanis.

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Our Main Event of UFC 311 offers us a rematch between the number 1 Pound-for-Pound fighter and Undisputed Lightweight Champion (C) Islam Makhachev (26-1) and first time title challenger, the Georgian (1) Arman Tsarukyan (22-3). In their previous meeting, the two fighters took each other the distance in a three round bout, where Islam won the fight on the scorecards. Although Islam grabbed the win in their previous matchup, if you had to build the perfect fighter to matchup against a virtually unbeatable Islam, Arman would be it. Tsarukyan has it all, he’s a physically gifted fighter with a very high fight IQ. He offers a complete game, that has been tough for many contenders to break down. However, Islam is just as dominant and complete. If Islam gets the clinch, its tough for anyone to deny his persistent pressure in a fight that will end up with you on the ground and him on top, having you hogtied in seconds. Islam is not perfect however, and has been knocked out cold in the past. Arman has been gaining nothing but experience since their last meeting, defeating most recently Former  Lightweight Champion Charles “Do Bronx” Oliveira, who has been looking like an absolute world beater since the Covid Era. While Charles Oliveira threatened the finish multiple times, Arman’s consistent pressure and showcase of abilities was enough to earn him the title shot. If you can beat the likes of Oliveira, you deserve to be in contention. Many predictions for this matchup can be made off the basis of their last meeting, even though its been a few years. In the first round of their fight back in 2019, we saw what many can expect in their upcoming fight, high level grappling exchanges, where neither of them got the best of the other. In the second round, the fight stayed on the feet for a few minutes before Islam initiated a clinch bringing the fight to the ground where Arman threatened a Kimora from his back. In the final round of the fight Arman shrunk to size as Islam’s cardio proved to be too much for him. In a final attempt to win the fight Arman shot for a takedown that Islam thwarted with a sprawl, maintained top position, and rode out the win. A few takeaways here when assessing the potential of the upcoming main event, will Arman Tsarukyan be able to go five rounds if necessary with Islam Makhachev and do enough to get the win. Will Islam stay safe on the feet and further prove his dominance as the reigning pound-for-pound king? The edge in this matchup must go to the Undisputed Pound-for-Pound king Islam Makhachev as his dominance speaks for itself and seems to need a miracle to be beat.

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This Main card offers a lot of high level matchups with real implications. Don’t expect caution to be thrown to the wind, but calculated fights as these fighters jockey for position. The only fights expected to be a brawl are the first fight of the night between Kevin Holland and Reinier De Ridder and the matchup between Jamahal Hill and Jiri Prochazka, all looking to make a statement. All other fighters will be gaming for the win. Tune in January 18, 2025 to UFC 311 at the brand new Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California on Pay-Per-View as the main card is set to go off at 10 PM est. Prelims Starting at 8 PM est.

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