UFC Performance Institute (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Zuffa LLC via Getty ImagesThe rivalry between UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov is going to the next level. The two men are set to square off in the UFC 311 co-main event on January 18 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.
On Monday, Dvalishvili took to social media insisting UFC Performance Institute security kept him out of the facility where he was supposed to rehab his injury because Nurmagomedov and his team were there.
Dvalishvili positioned his post in a way that sounded like he was being slighted, when it actuality, it might be an instance when Nurmagomedov arrived earlier and they’re paths crossing wasn’t a part of the plan.
It appears UFC staff was ensuring they did not have an incident between Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov before their scheduled fight on January 11 in the co-main event of UFC 311.
Dvalishvili has scrapped with a person allegedly a part of Nurmagomedov’s team and warred with his UFC 311 opponent on social media. It appears tensions are high heading into the fight.
This dynamic is good for business, but a bad mix if emotions boil over outside of the Octagon. If a fight breaks out, there can be injuries or even arrests, which is obviously not good for those involved, and that is bad for business if it leads to the fight being delayed or canceled.
In any case, what might have erupted into a bigger story stays as something of a breadcrumb leading to what is becoming a more intriguing co-main event as we move closer to UFC 311.
Here is a look at the complete card along with watch info for the prelims and main card.
UFC 311 Main Card – ESPN+ PPV (10 PM ET)
- (c) Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan – UFC Lightweight Championship
- (c) Merab Dvalishvili vs. Umar Nurmagomedov – UFC Men’s Bantamweight Championship
- Jiří Procházka vs. Jamahal Hill – Light Heavyweight
- Beneil Dariush vs. Renato Moicano – Lightweight
- Kevin Holland vs. Reinier de Ridder – Middleweight
UFC 311 Prelims – ESPNEWS/Disney+/ESPN+ (8 PM ET)
- Johnny Walker vs. Bogdan Guskov – Light Heavyweight
- Payton Talbott vs. Raoni Barcelos – Bantamweight
- Jailton Almeida vs. Serghei Spivac – Heavyweight
- Zach Reese vs. Sedriques Dumas – Middleweight
UFC 311 Early Prelims – ESPNEWS/Disney+/ESPN+ (6 PM ET)
- Grant Dawson vs. Diego Ferreira – Lightweight
- Karol Rosa vs. Ailín Pérez – Bantamweight
- Rinya Nakamura vs. Muin Gafurov – Bantamweight
- Ricky Turcios vs. Benardo Sopaj – Bantamweight
- Tagir Ulanbekov vs. Clayton Carpenter – Flyweight
The UFC remains on hiatus until January 11 when it returns to the UFC Apex for a card headlined by Mackenzie Dern taking on Amanda Ribas. While less significant than UFC 311, MMA fans will be starving for an event from the No. 1 promotion in the world.
Dern vs. Ribas will feel like Amanda Nunes vs. Ronda Rousey after three weeks without an event. Be on the lookout for Fight Week coverage for the UFC Fight Night as well as increased monitoring on UFC 311 as we get closer to the first pay-per-view event of 2025.
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