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Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG Islam Makhachev delivered against short-notice opponent Renato Moicano in the main event of UFC 311 on Saturday night at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif. So much so, Dana White finally had to admit that the lightweight champion is the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter on the planet. Following the UFC’s first pay-per-view event of 2025, MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck and Jed Meshew react to Makhachev’s quick win, what could be next, and how Arman Tsarukyan could fit into things at 155 after his withdrawal. Additionally, they discuss Merab Dvalishvili’s successful title defense against Umar Nurmagomedov in the bantamweight championship co-main event, where Nurmagomedov goes from his first career loss, the incredible battle between Jiri Prochazka and Jamahal Hill, both fighters’ stocks rising after the fight between former light heavyweight champs, and much more. Watch the UFC 311 post-fight show above, or an audio-only version of the show can also be streamed below and on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you get your pods.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov might have already given fans the best fight of the year and they’ve been awarded accordingly. At the UFC 311 post-fight press conference, UFC CEO Dana White announced the bonuses for the event, with Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov earning Fight of the Night for an epic five-round duel, and Jiri Prochazka and Jailton Almeida earning Performance of the Night bonuses. All four fighters receive an extra $50,000 for their efforts. The Fight of the Night award as no surprise as Dvalishvili went the distance in his first defense of the bantamweight title and outlasted Nurmagomedov in a thriller. It was the 12th straight win for Dvalishvili and he takes home his first Fight of the Night since a loss to Ricky Simon back in April 2018. Prochazka and Almeida are no strangers to finishes, with a combined 51 wins by knockout or submission between them. In a key light heavyweight bout, Prochazka delivered in spades with a third-round knockout of Jamahal Hill after a spirited back-and-forth battle that looked like it could have gone either way until Prochazka put together a final flurry of offense. Almeida found his seventh finish in eight UFC appearances, needing just under a round to take Serghei Spivac’s back and finish with ground-and-pound.

Alex Pereira | Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Alex Pereira has his first fight of 2025. “Poatan” is set to headline UFC 313 on March 8 in Las Vegas as he defends his light heavyweight championship against top contender Magomed Ankalaev. The main event matchup was officially announced during Saturday’s UFC 311 broadcast. Also official is the co-main event, which features lightweight fan favorites Justin Gaethje throwing down with Dan Hooker. Pereira is coming off of a stunning 2024 campaign that saw him headline three UFC pay-per-views and exit each one with a highlight-reel knockout and his light heavyweight belt in tow. Most recently, Pereira defeated Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307 in October. He now faces Ankalaev, the longtime contender in waiting, who is unbeaten in 13 straight appearances since losing his UFC debut in 2018. Gaethje and Hooker are both looking to stay in the lightweight title picture while delivering another crowd-pleasing performance. “The Highlight” is coming off a brutal battle with Max Holloway at UFC 300, while Hooker is currently on a three-fight win streak after beating Mateusz Gamrot, Jalin Turner, and Claudio Puelles.

Islam Makhachev and Renato Moicano | Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC In a strange twist, Renato Moicano is set to earn more money than lightweight champion Islam Makhachev as they prepare to meet in the short-notice main event of UFC 311 on Saturday. The California State Athletic Commission revealed the salaries for the card with MMA Fighting prior to the main event. Moicano is set to earn $250,000 with no win bonus after he accepted a short-notice opportunity to face Makhachev in the headliner following an injury suffered by Arman Tsarukyan just a day before the card was scheduled to take place. Moicano was originally set to face Beneil Dariush on the card, but now competes in the main event instead and earns a $250,000 payday for the opportunity. As for Makhachev, he’s receiving $200,000 as a flat fee for his fourth consecutive title defense. As a reminder, salaries made public by the commission are only contracted amounts and do not reflect any off-book bonuses or potential pay-per-view bonuses paid out separately by the UFC. In the co-main event, UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili is set to earn $500,000 for his first title defense as he returns to action after claiming the title this past September with a win over Sean O’Malley. Meanwhile, Umar Nurmagomedov is taking home $100,000 for his salary with no win bonus attached. Former UFC light heavyweight champions Jamahal Hill and Jiri Prochazka are both set to earn $200,000 in show money but the fighters have different payouts for win bonuses. Hill earns an additional $200,000 for a win while Prochazka gets $50,000 if he’s victorious at UFC 311. Here are the full salaries for UFC 311 including show and win bonuses where available: Islam Makhachev: $200,000 (no win bonus) Renato Moicano: $250,000 (no win bonus) Merab Dvalishvili: $500,000 (no win bonus) Umar Nurmagomedov: $100,000 (no win bonus) Jiri Prochazka: $200,000 ($50,000 win bonus) Jamahal Hill: $200,000 ($200,000 win bonus) Kevin Holland: $250,000 ($250,000 win bonus) Reinier de Ridder: $105,000 ($105,000 win bonus) Jailton Almeida: $110,000 ($110,000 win bonus) Serghei Spivac: $100,000 ($100,000 win bonus) Payton Talbott: $43,000 ($43,000 win bonus) Raoni Barcelos: $48,000 ($48,000 win bonus) Bogdan Guskov: $43,000 ($43,000 win bonus) Billy Elekana: $12,000 ($12,000 win bonus) Grant Dawson: $106,000 ($106,000 win bonus) Diego Ferreira: $100,000 ($100,000 win bonus) Zachary Reese: $30,000 ($30,000 win bonus) Azamat Bekoev: $12,000 ($12,000 win bonus) Karol Rosa: $75,000 ($75,000 win bonus) Ailin Perez: $36,000 ($36,000 win bonus) Rinya Nakamura: $26,000 ($26,000 win bonus) Muin Gafurov: $14,000 ($14,000 win bonus) Ricky Turcios: $28,000 ($28,000 win bonus) Bernardo Sopai: $12,000 ($12,000 win bonus) Tagir Ulanbekov: $36,000 ($36,000 win bonus) Clayton Carpenter: $28,000 ($28,000 win bonus)

Islam Makhachev and Renato Moicano will clash in the UFC 311 main event Saturday. | Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC MMA Fighting has UFC 311 results for the Makhachev vs. Moicano fight card, live blogs of the entire main card, and more from the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, Calif., on Saturday night. In the main event, UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev aims for his fourth consecutive title defense when he faces Renato Moicano in a short-notice fight. Moicano, who was originally scheduled to fight Beneil Dariush, replaced Arman Tsarukyan, who pulled out of the fight with a back injury. UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili puts his belt on the line against undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov in the co-main event. Check out the UFC 311 results below. Main Card Islam Makhachev def. R. Moicano via sub (R1, 4:05) (live blog) | Highlights | Recap | Reax Merab Dvalishvili def. Umar Nurmagomedov via UD (live blog) | Highlights | Reax | Recap Jiri Prochazka def. Jamahal Hill via third-round TKO (3:01) (live blog) | Watch finish | Reax Jailton Almeida def. Serghei Spivac via first-round TKO (4:53) (live blog) | Watch finish Reinier de Ridder def. Kevin Holland via sub (RNC) (R1, 3:31) (live blog) | Watch finish Prelims Raoni Barcelos def. Payton Talbott via unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 30-26) | Recap Azamat Bekoev def. Zachary Reese via first-round KO (3:04) | Watch finish Bogdan Guskov def. Billy Elekana via submission (guillotine) (R2, 3;33) Grant Dawson def. Diego Ferreira via unanimous decision (30-27 x3) Ailin Perez def. Karol Rosa via unanimous decision (29-28 x2, 30-27) Muin Gafurov def. Rinya Nakamura via unanimous decision (30-27 x3) Bernardo Sopai def. Ricky Turcios via unanimous decision (30-27 X2, 29-28) Tagir Ulanbekov def. Clayton Carpenter via unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)