In a dramatic turn of events, Arman Tsarukyan was ruled out of the lightweight title fight against Islam Makhachev ahead of the UFC 311 event, happening at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood on Sunday.
The Armenian was forced to opt out of the event due to “medical, non-weight cut related issues” and the decision was confirmed by UFC CEO Dana White, minutes before the weigh-in ceremony. Renato Moicano from Brazil has been announced as Tsarukyan’s replacment.
“Tsarukyan informed us that he was experiencing significant back pain,” White said. “Due to the injury, he feels like he is not healthy enough to compete. Stepping in to face him is Renato Moicano.” Both Makhachev and Moicano completed their weigh-ins successfully.
According to White, Makhachev agreed to the fight instantly. The lightweight champion and No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter will defend his championship for the fourth time. And if he succeeds, he will hold the record of most title defences in the history of the division.
The heavyweight matchup between Jailton Almeida and Serghei Spivac, which was originally slotted as one of the preliminary fights, moves up to the main card.
In the co-main event, Merab Dvalishvili puts his bantamweight title on the line against undefeated challenger Umar Nurmagomedov.
Who is Renato Moicano?
Renato “Money” Moicano, ranked number 10 in the lightweight division, enters the bout on the back of a four-fight win streak, with the latest being a second round knockout victory over Benoit Saint Denis in September last year.
The 35-year-old was slated to face Beneil Dariush as a part of the main card in a lightweight bout, but with Tsarukyan’s injury, he gets his maiden shot at the title.
Moicano made his UFC debut way back in 2014 at UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Dollaway in one of the preliminary cards. He kickstarted his UFC career with a submission second round submission over Finland’s Tom Niinimaki.
Moicano had a productive 2024 as he collected convincing wins in all three of his fights. Apart from the win against Saint Denis, he secured a unanimous decision victory over Drew Dober and followed it up with a dominating second-round knockout win against USA’s Jalin Turner. Overall, Moicano boasts a healthy record of 20 wins and five losses in the UFC.
