Arman Tsarukyan and Renato Moicano share a very interesting commonality ahead of the new UFC 311 main event.
UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan withdrew from UFC 311 on hours’ notice due to a back injury suffered ahead of his clash with Islam Makhachev. Right before he was scheduled to weigh in for the Makhachev title fight, Tsarukyan pulled out of the card, forcing the promotion to get creative in setting up a new main event.
After Tsarukyan notified the UFC in the early morning hours on Friday of his inability to compete, UFC CEO Dana White announced that Renato Moicano would be promoted to the main event slot against Makhachev. Moicano was supposed to face Beneil Dariush in a lightweight contender bout on the UFC 311 main card.
Few fans and pundits are giving Moicano much of a chance to earn one of the biggest upsets in UFC history this weekend. But interestingly, Moicano is arguably more prepared for Makhachev than his previously scheduled bout with Dariush.
Renato Moicano and Arman Tsarukyan share a key commonality ahead of UFC 311
In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, UFC play-by-play broadcaster Jon Anik pointed out a unique element to the new UFC 311 main event.
“Perhaps there would’ve been some pause because Marcos Parrumpa DaMatta, the chief cornerman for Arman Tsarukyan, is also the chief cornerman for Renato Moicano. So you know this camp knows you exceedingly well,” Anik said. “There’s not much upside in winning this fight for Islam, as there would’ve been to get some style points and a second win over Arman.
“But Islam’s the man, and that’s why he took the fight.”
Makhachev makes his upcoming lightweight title defense after recent wins over Alexander Volkanovski and Dustin Poirier. A win this weekend would break a four-way tie for the UFC’s record for lightweight title defenses.
But Moicano has the chance to spoil Makhachev’s bid at making history this weekend at UFC 311. Since making the full-time move from featherweight to lightweight, Moicano has been a streaking contender, defeating the likes of Benoit Saint-Denis and Jalin Turner.
Tsarukyan’s withdrawal comes after recent wins over Charles Oliveira and Dariush to earn the next UFC lightweight title shot. As of this writing, a timeline for his anticipated return is uncertain, but he’s expected to get a title shot upon his return to the cage.
Moicano and Tsarukyan are both American Top Team mainstays in south Florida. But Makhachev is the only common opponent the two lightweight contenders share.
The UFC’s first pay-per-view card of 2025 features a major shakeup to the top of the event. But for Anik, he thinks fans shouldn’t be surprised if Moicano performs better than anticipated against the UFC’s pound-for-pound king.