UFC 311 FAQ: Latest on coach Khabib, California fires, updates for blockbuster card

The UFC was not messing around when crafting its January schedule. Mixed martial arts action resumed this past weekend following a four-week hiatus with a highlight-filled Fight Night card, and the first numbered pay-per-view event of 2025 is a blockbuster with two pivotal championship contests set to go down this weekend at UFC 311.

There is rarely a dearth of storylines during a fight week and this one is no exception. In fact, the drama thus far and potential for more variables later in the week has fight fans collectively on edge.

The week began with a prominent former champion and current coach getting removed from an airplane. And dangerous fires are still raging in California close to where Saturday’s event is scheduled to take place.

With that in mind, here are some key questions and what you need to know this week ahead of UFC 311: Makhachev vs. Tsarukyan 2.

Where and when does it take place?

UFC 311 is slated to be the organization’s first event located at the new Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif.

It is currently scheduled for Saturday and the UFC has not announced any changes despite the ongoing emergency in the state.

Could the California fires impact the event?

The short answer, for now, is they are not expected to. UFC 311 is still scheduled to go as planned.

UFC president and CEO Dana White was filmed speaking with a streamer named Adin Ross this past Saturday and said of UFC 311: “We'll move it to Vegas if (the fire) gets too bad, but as of now it's all a go. NBA's gonna go this week. We're gonna go.”

The NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers both had home games postponed within the past week, and both are expected to return to action for home games Monday for the first time since the ongoing fires began devastating the state.

The Clippers play at the Intuit Dome, host of UFC 311, while the Lakers play at the nearby Crypto.com Arena in L.A.

In the NFL, Monday’s NFC wild-card game between the Minnesota Vikings and host L.A. Rams had already been moved to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.

The UFC’s headquarters are located in Las Vegas. The organization regularly holds events at the UFC Apex, which cannot accommodate many spectators. They also hold multiple events at T-Mobile Arena annually. That venue, which is also home of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights, does not have any events currently booked for Jan. 18 if an eleventh-hour contingency plan needs to be considered.

Who is on the card?

UFC 311 offers a 14-bout lineup chock full of world-class talent, including a stacked main card capped off by back-to-back championship contests.

Lightweight king and current No. 1-ranked pound-for-pound talent on the UFC roster, Islam Makhachev, will attempt to defend his title in a rematch against Arman Tsarukyan in the anticipated main event.

The pair of 155-pounders met in April of 2019 with Makhachev emerging with a three-round unanimous decision victory in a bout that earned both men a Fight of the Night performance bonus. Tsarukyan was making his UFC debut on relatively short notice and Makhachev was not yet a title contender. Makhachev has gone 9-0 and become the champ since their initial meeting, while Tsarukyan has amassed a 9-1 record on his rise to becoming the top contender.

Co-main events don’t get much better than new champ Merab Dvalishvili making his first defence against the unbeaten and highly touted Umar Nurmagomedov. Dvalishvili has won 11 in a row in the UFC; Nurmagomedov is 18-0 as a pro and 6-0 under the UFC banner so far.

Former 205-pound titleholders Jiri Prochazka and Jamahal Hill also go toe-to-toe on the main card in a fan-friendly style matchup.

MAIN CARD

-- Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan

-- Merab Dvalishvili vs. Umar Nurmagomedov

-- Jiri Prochazka vs. Jamahal Hill

-- Beneil Dariush vs. Renato Moicano

-- Kevin Holland vs. Reinier de Ridder

What about the prelims?

The preliminary card has undergone a couple adjustments this week, including light-heavyweight Johnny Walker withdrawing from his scheduled bout with Bogdan Guskov.

Walker announced over the weekend he was out of his featured fight after sustaining an unspecified “bad injury” in training. It is unclear how long Walker, who was knocked out twice in 2024, will remain out of action.

The UFC announced Monday that newcomer Billy Elekana will debut against Guskov in Walker's place. Elekana, 29, is 7-1 as a pro with experience in both the PFL and LFA organizations and earned a knockout win in under two minutes his last time out. Guskov, 32, has won two in a row in the UFC including a TKO of Ryan Spann last April.

Sedriques Dumas is out of his scheduled middleweight bout with Zachary Reese for undisclosed reasons and has been replaced by LFA’s 185-pound champ Azamat Bekoev.

Reese is 8-1 in MMA coming off a 2-0 2024, while Bekoev is 18-3 and a winner of six straight fights dating back to 2021.

PRELIMINARY CARD

-- Bogdan Guskov vs. Billy Elekana

-- Payton Talbott vs. Raoni Barcelos

-- Jailton Almeida vs. Serghei Spivac

-- Zachary Reese vs. Azamat Bekoev

-- Grant Dawson vs. Carlos Diego Ferreira

-- Karol Rosa vs. Ailin Perez           

-- Rinya Nakamura vs. Muin Gafurov

-- Ricky Turcios vs. Bernardo Sopaj     

-- Tagir Ulanbekov vs. Clayton Carpenter

Why is 'Coach Khabib' in the spotlight this week?

Khabib Nurmagomedov will be a key figure this week as coach and cornerman for both his longtime teammate Islam Makhachev and his cousin Umar Nurmagomedov.

Since retiring from MMA competition in 2020 with a 29-0 pro record, Nurmagomedov has taken on a bigger leadership role with his team, which routinely earns wins and world titles. His other cousin, Umar’s younger brother Usman, is competing for a title at a PFL event later this month, meaning an eventful January for Khabib won't end with UFC 311.

The 36-year-old from Dagestan, Russia, endured a dramatic start to his fight week as he was removed from a flight scheduled to take off from Las Vegas and land in California following a misunderstanding over the weekend.

The MMA star released a statement about the experience. Although Nurmagomedov was deplaned, the retired fighter boarded another flight several hours later and will be in California with his pupils up until the fights on Saturday.

What else is scheduled for fight week?

Sportsnet’s Aaron Bronsteter and Arden Zwelling will be on site in California, so stay tuned to Sportsnet.ca for exclusive content and one-on-one fighter interviews. UFC welterweight contender Mike Malott will also be in town with Sportsnet covering the action.

Media day: Official UFC 311 media events begin Wednesday when participating athletes will speak with gathered reporters.

Pre-fight press conference: UFC 311 main-card athletes will participate on Thursday at the Intuit Dome beginning at approximately 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT. It is available to stream live on Sportsnet+ and who knows what might happen?

The last time Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov participated in a press conference together they had to be separated by security backstage. A confrontation occurred in Las Vegas in December when Dvalishvili felt he was being disrespected by his upcoming opponent.

Official weigh-in: All participating fighters must step on the scale Friday during the allotted weigh-in window beginning noon ET / 9 a.m. PT at the UFC Apex. Makhachev and Tsarukyan must weigh no more than 155 pounds, while Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov must hit the 135-pound mark for their title fights to be made official.

Ceremonial weigh-in: Later on Friday, once all official weights have been recorded and the athletes have begun rehydrating, opponents will face off on stage at the Intuit Dome on the eve of the card. These weigh-ins are expected to begin at approximately 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT and will be available to stream live on Sportsnet+.

Who's on the call?

The UFC’s go-to broadcasting trio of Jon Anik, Joe Rogan and Daniel Cormier will be on the call for UFC 311, reuniting for the first time since December’s UFC 310 in Las Vegas.

Anik, Rogan and Cormier were together on the call for Tsarukyan’s most recent win at UFC 300 last year, but it has been a while since the same can be said about one of Makhachev’s fights.

In fact, this will be the first time Rogan has called a Makhachev fight from cageside since the current champ’s 2021 submission victory over Drew Dober at UFC 259 in Las Vegas.

Rogan hasn’t been working the UFC’s international events in recent years and Makhachev regularly fights overseas. Rogan also wasn’t working at UFC 302 during Makhachev’s most recent title defence that took place in New Jersey.

Cormier is also a teammate of Makhachev and has known both him and Nurmagomedov for much of their careers, so the former two-weight champion should be able to provide some unique insight.