UFC Performance Institute (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC, Getty Images)
The rivalry between UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov is taking it to the next level. The two are scheduled to meet in the co-main event of UFC 311 on January 18th at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.
On Monday, Dvalishvili claimed on social media that security at the UFC Performance Institute prevented him from entering the facility where he was scheduled to rehab his injury because Nurmagomedov and his team were present.
Dvalishvili positioned his post in a way that made it sound like he was being disrespected, but in reality, it was an example of Nurmagomedov arriving early and it was not part of the plan for them to cross paths. Maybe.
UFC staff apparently checked to see if there was an incident between Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov before their scheduled fight in the co-main event of UFC 311 on January 11th.
Dvalishvili broke off with an alleged member of Nurmagomedov’s team and feuded with his UFC 311 opponent on social media. Tensions seem to be rising for the battle.
This dynamic is good for business, but bad when emotions boil over outside the Octagon. If a fight breaks out, people can be injured or even arrested, which is obviously bad for everyone involved, and if the fight is delayed or canceled, it’s bad for business.
Either way, what could have developed into a larger story remains something of a breadcrumb trail leading into what is shaping up to be a more interesting co-main event as we get closer to UFC 311.
Here’s the complete card, with highlights from the qualifiers and main card.
UFC 311 Main Card – ESPN+ PPV (10pm ET)
- (c) Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan – UFC Lightweight Championship
- (c) Merab Dvalishvili vs. Umar Nurmagomedov – UFC Men’s Bantamweight Championship
- Jiřà Prochaska vs. Jamahal Hill – Light Heavyweight
- Beneil Darish vs. Renato Moicano – Lightweight
- Kevin Holland vs. Reinier de Ridder – Middleweight
UFC 311 Preliminaries – ESPNEWS/Disney+/ESPN+ (8 p.m. ET)
- Johnny Walker vs. Bogdan Guskov – Light Heavyweight
- Peyton Talbot vs. Raoni Barcelos – Bantamweight
- Jailton Almeida vs. Sergey Spivac – Heavyweight
- Zach Reese vs. Cedriquez Dumas – Middleweight
UFC 311 Early Prelims – ESPNEWS/Disney+/ESPN+ (6 p.m. ET)
- Grant Dawson vs. Diego Ferreira – Lightweight
- Karol Rosa vs. Aylin Perez – Bantamweight
- Tomoya Nakamura vs. Muin Gafurov – Bantamweight
- Ricky Turcios vs. Benardo Sopage – Bantamweight
- Tagir Ulanbekov vs. Clayton Carpenter – Flyweight
The UFC is on hiatus until January 11th, when Mackenzie Dern returns to UFC Apex on a card against Amanda Rivas. While not as important as UFC 311, MMA fans will be hungry for an event from the world’s number one promotion.
Dern vs. Rivas will feel a lot like Amanda Nunes vs. Ronda Rousey after three weeks of no events. Look for increased fight week coverage of UFC Fight Night and increased scrutiny of UFC 311 as we approach the first pay-per-view event of 2025.
