Islam Makhachev’s fourth UFC lightweight title defense now looks a lot different than what he was preparing for. And yet, that’s no problem for the champion.
Makhachev (26-1 MMA, 15-1 UFC) was preparing for months to defend his belt against Arman Tsarukyan in the main event of UFC 311 (pay-per-view, ESPNews/Disney+, ESPN+) this Saturday at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif. However, on Friday morning everything changed as UFC CEO Dana White announced that Tsarukyan was out due to injury, and veteran Renato Moicano would be taking his place instead.
Makhachev appears to be taking it all in stride.