Matches to Make After UFC 311

The Ultimate Fighting Championship kicked off its 2025 pay-per-view slate by returning to Los Angeles with 13 fights. Featuring two title fights atop the card, including a last-minute lightweight championship fight between Islam Makhachev and Renato "Money" Moicano, UFC 311 won’t quickly be forgotten. While the year has just begun, it’s clear that fans will see ramifications from the event going forward.

Here are five matches to make following UFC 311.

Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan

In the UFC 311 main event, Makhachev (27-1) notched another lightweight title defense at the expense of Moicano, who was quickly submitted via brabo choke. The protégé of Khabib Nurmagomedov is now on an incredible 15 fight win streak in the lightweight division dating back to 2016. Makhachev was supposed to rematch Tsarukyan, who pulled out the day before the fight due to a back injury, so let’s run it back as there’s no other sensible opponent. Tsarukyan's four-fight win streak, which includes a recent victory over Charles Oliveira, still ranks him as the toughest fight for the man who defeated him via decision in 2019. Let’s just hope the rematch actually happens this time.

Merab Dvalishvili vs. Mario Bautista

Dvalishvili retained his bantamweight championship following 25 hard-fought minutes against Umar Nurmagomedov. This puts “The Machine” in a tricky situation as nearly every contender is coming off a loss except for Petr Yan, who Dvalishvili (19-5) dominated in their 2023 fight. The only other fighter with notable momentum is Bautista, who has won seven straight fights inside the Octagon and is coming off a decision nod over Jose Aldo. While it lacks much star power, make it a homecoming fight for Dvalishvili in Georgia, which would certainly be a spectacle, so the champion can attempt to take a victory lap.

Related » UFC 311 Round-by-Round Scoring

Jiri Prochazka vs. Khalil Rountree Jr.

Prochazka looked renewed in a vicious TKO win over fellow former champion Jamahal Hill. Prochazka (31-5-1) is a top contender but two TKO losses to Alex Pereira will keep him away from a title shot as long as “Poatan” holds the belt. Thankfully, there are plenty of fun fights to make in the division. I'd like to see "BJP" take on Rountree Jr., who was on a five-fight win streak before his recent loss to Pereira. Both men are exciting inside the cage and hard hitters, so it'd be a great scrap.

Jailton Almeida vs. Ciryl Gane

Almeida made short work of Serghei Spivac, hurting his opponent on the feet and then pounding away on the ground en route to a TKO victory. Now 22-3 as a pro, "Malhadinho" is one of the most exciting contenders at heavyweight. Having won back-to-back fights, it's time for another step up. He called out Gane after the fight, which makes perfect sense to me. Gane (13-2) is also on a two-fight streak, albeit controversially, and it'd be a great striker versus grappler bout.

Reinier de Ridder vs. Caio Borralho

De Ridder easily took Kevin Holland down and submitted the UFC mainstay with a rear-naked choke inside the first round. "The Dutch Knight" improves to 19-2 and the former One Championship titleholder is now 2-0 inside the UFC. At 34, there isn't much time to waste, so let's put the Dutch veteran against Brazil's Borralho. "The Natural" has an impressive 17-1 record and has been on a roll as one of the UFC's most exciting prospects. The winner would be in a great spot inside the UFC’s top 10 and would be close to being a title contender.