Islam Makhachev retains lightweight belt against Renato Moicano at UFC 311

In an epic, action-filled bantamweight rubric match, Merab Dvalishvili defends his rubric against Umar Nurmagomedov.

Islam Makhachev has successfully defended his lightweight title loop pursuing 10th-ranked Renato Moicano’s first-round submission astatine UFC 311.

The Russian mixed martial arts (MMA) combatant took 4 minutes and 5 seconds to assertion his 15th consecutive triumph astatine the Intuit Dome successful Inglewood, California connected Saturday.

Makhachev, who holds a grounds of 27 wins and 1 loss, was speedy to administer a D’Arce choke connected his Brazilian hostile aft taking him down quickly.

The 33-year-old Makhachev has the astir rubric combat wins successful the part with 5 and has accomplished what nary different combatant successful his part has ever done – successfully defending his loop 4 times. It was his 13th triumph by submission.

“I similar this belt,” said Makhachev, the UFC’s top-ranked pound-for-pound combatant and the astir decorated lightweight ever. “If idiosyncratic wants this belt, travel to the cage.”

Moicano was a last-minute replacement for top-ranked challenger Arman Tsarukyan, who pulled retired of the bout connected Friday due to the fact that “of important backmost pain” related to an injury.

The 35-year-old Moicano, from Brazil, came successful with 9 victories successful his past 10 fights, but proved to beryllium nary lucifer for Makhachev, whose grappling has been unmatched arsenic helium continues to beryllium wherefore helium is 1 of the champion successful the world.

Moicano was harsher connected himself and said Makhachev was the amended fighter. He worries, however, that it whitethorn person been his 1 changeable astatine title glory.

“That wasn’t a one-day notice,” Moicano said aft the fight. “That was a life’s notice. I’m precise sad. I spent my full beingness for this infinitesimal and tapped successful the archetypal round.”

Makhachev said helium does not person a penchant for his adjacent opponent.

Renato Moicano submits to Islam Makhachev successful their lightweight rubric combat during UFC 311 astatine Intuit Dome successful Inglewood, US [Harry How/Getty Images via AFP]

In an epic, action-filled bantamweight rubric match, champion Merab Dvalishvili was palmy successful his archetypal rubric defence arsenic helium extended his winning streak to 12 portion handing second-ranked contender Umar Nurmagomedov the archetypal nonaccomplishment of his career.

The gait of the lucifer saw some fighters predominate astatine antithetic times successful the fight, with Dvalishvili closing beardown aft 2 of the 3 judges had Nurmagomedov starring aft the archetypal 2 rounds.

Nurmagomedov said helium felt helium had breached his near hand, and could not usage it aft the archetypal round.

In a airy heavyweight match, erstwhile champion and second-ranked Jiri Prochazka utilized a flurry of punches successful the 3rd circular to overwhelm third-ranked Jamahal Hill, prompting a stoppage astatine 3 minutes for a full knockout (TKO).

In the heavyweight division, sixth-ranked Jailton Almeida utilized a flurry of close hands to wounded seventh-ranked Serghei Spivac precocious successful the archetypal circular and utilized a ground-and-pound onslaught to decorativeness the lucifer with a TKO astatine the 4:53 mark.

Reinier de Ridder wasted nary clip successful taking down Kevin Holland astir 10 seconds into their middleweight bout and finished him disconnected with a rear-naked chokehold astatine 3:31 of the archetypal round.

Merab Dvalishvili of Georgia punches Umar Nurmagomedov of Russia successful their bantamweight rubric combat [Harry How/Getty Images via AFP]