Title: UFC 311 Battle Card: Preliminary Betting Odds for Fight Week
UFC 311, set for January in Inglewood, California, is the highly anticipated event on the UFC schedule this week. The action takes place at the Intuit Dome, marking the promotion's first appearance in the venue. The main event of the night features a rematch between current UFC lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev, and Arman Tsarukyan, who previously lost to Makhachev via decision in 2019.
Since their initial encounter, Makhachev (26-1) has gone 9-0 with seven finishes and two decisions. He secured the vacant UFC lightweight title with a submission victory over former champion Charles Oliveira in October 2022. Makhachev has successfully defended the title thrice, most recently with a submission of former interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier in the UFC 302 main event.
Tsarukyan (22-3) suffered his first loss to Makhachev upon joining the UFC but rebounded strongly, winning five consecutive bouts before falling to Mateusz Gamrot in a split decision in June 2022. He responded by scoring four straight wins, the latest being a split-decision triumph over Oliveira at UFC 300 in April.
Ranked atop both the UFC lightweight and pound-for-pound divisions, Makhachev and Tsarukyan promise an epic battle in this highly anticipated rematch.
In the co-main event, bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili will defend his title against the unbeaten Umar Nurmagomedov. Dvalishvili made his mark by defeating former champion Sean O'Malley in the UFC 306 main event back in 2014. Having joined the UFC with high expectations, he turned his fortunes around in 2018, winning an impressive 11 fights in a row.
Umar Nurmagomedov, the brother of Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov and cousin of former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, joined the UFC in 2021 with a victory over Sergey Morozov. Since then, he has recorded another five victories, including a dominant performance against former interim UFC title challenger Cory Sandhagen in a five-round main event scrap in August.
As UFC 311 approaches, early betting odds are as follows:
- Islam Makhachev (-410) vs. Arman Tsarukyan (+310)
- Merab Dvalishvili (+275) vs. Umar Nurmagomedov (-350)
Enjoy the exciting action of UFC 311, beginning with the early prelims on ESPN at 6:00 p.m. ET, followed by prelims on ESPNews at 8:00 p.m. ET, and the main card on ESPN+ PPV at 10:00 p.m. ET.
UFC 311, scheduled for January in Inglewood, California, features a highly anticipated rematch between Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan in the main event. Makhachev, with a record of 26-1, has been on a winning streak since their initial encounter, while Tsarukyan, with a record of 22-3, has responded with four consecutive victories. Umar Nurmagomedov, who joined the UFC in 2021, will challenge Merab Dvalishvili for the bantamweight title in the co-main event. Early UFC 311 betting odds favor Makhachev (-410) against Tsarukyan (+310) and Dvalishvili (+275) against Nurmagomedov (-350). The event takes place at the Intuit Dome, marking the promotion's first appearance in the venue.
