UFC 311 Results: Stock Up, Stock Down After First PPV Of 2025
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INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 18: Merab Dvalishvili of Georgia reacts after a decision victory ... [+] against Umar Nurmagomedov of Russia in the UFC bantamweight championship fight during the UFC 311 event at Intuit Dome on January 18, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)Zuffa LLCUFC 311 was a fun event.The Intuit Dome is an amazing venue for the UFC. Im hoping the promotion heads there twice a year moving forward. Im also hopeful the event offers some monetary and mental relief for residents in the area who have been dealing with the wildfires on some level.When looking back at the event in totality, heres my take on who and what saw their stock go up or down after UFC 311.UFC 311 Stock UpThe Intuit DomeI dont want to beat a dead horse, but take a look at some of these shots that were taken on Saturday night inside the Intuit Dome.INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 18: A general view of the Octagon during the UFC 311 event at Intuit ... [+] Dome on January 18, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC)Zuffa LLCINGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 18: A general view of the Octagon during the UFC 311 event at Intuit ... [+] Dome on January 18, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC)Zuffa LLCMORE FOR YOUINGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 18: A general view of the Octagon prior to the UFC 311 event at ... [+] Intuit Dome on January 18, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)Zuffa LLCThe arena had to jump to the top of the list when it comes to destination spots for UFC pay-per-view events.Merab DvalishviliINGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 18: Merab Dvalishvili of Georgia reacts at the end of his ... [+] bantamweight title fight against Umar Nurmagomedov of Russia, not pictured, during UFC 311 at Intuit Dome on January 18, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)Getty ImagesI dont remember the last time I saw a more impressive win in a bantamweight championship fight. Dvalishvili was down two rounds on the majority of the three judges scorecards heading into the third frame.What does he do? Simply outpace Umar Nurmagomedov for the final three to prove he is the deserving champion at 135 pounds. Dvalishvili has now won 12 fights in a row.Heres who he has defeated on this streak:Umar NurmagomedovSean OMalleyHenry CejudoPetr YanJose AldoMarlon MoraesCody StamannJohn DodsonGustavo LopezCasey KenneyBrad KatonaTerrion WareDvalishvili is arguably on the most impressive streak in the history of the division.Umar NurmagomedovINGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 18: Umar Nurmagomedov of Russia prepares to face Merab Dvalishvili ... [+] of Georgia in the UFC bantamweight championship fight during the UFC 311 event at Intuit Dome on January 18, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC)Zuffa LLCAs great as Dvalishvili was, he only had to be that good because of the level of his opponent. Nurmagomedov handled Dvalishvilis wrestling better than anyone else the champion has ever faced.While Dvalishvili did secure seven takedowns in the fight, Nurmagomedov stuffed 23 of the attempts. Everything about that stat is remarkable.All things considered, Im not sure if there is another bantamweight in the world who can beat Nurmagomedov.Ji ProchzkaINGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 18: Jiri Prochazka of the Czech Republic reacts after a victory ... [+] against Jamahal Hill in a light heavyweight fight during the UFC 311 event at Intuit Dome on January 18, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)Zuffa LLCEveryone knows Prochzka is a wild man with no shortage of toughness. What he showed us on Saturday is a level of defensevia enhanced head movementthat made him enjoy a serious upgrade in his TKO win over Jamahal Hill.Perhaps Alex Pereira is still Prochzkas kryptonite, but no other light heavyweight in the world has beaten him in 12 years.Jailton AlmeidaINGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 18: Jailton Almeida of Brazil reacts after his technical knockout ... [+] victory against Serghei Spivac of Moldova, not pictured, in a heavyweight fight during UFC 311 at Intuit Dome on January 18, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)Getty ImagesAlmeida has rebounded well following a disappointing loss to Curtis Blaydes in March 2024. The best thing about his win against Serghei Spivac on Saturday was that he set it up with his striking.An excellent combination wobbled Spivac before Almeida pounced and locked in the TKO just before the horn in the first round.Almeida called out Ciryl Gane, but before that, he might need to get his revenge against Blaydes or lock horns with the winner of Sergei Pavlovich vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik on February 1. Almeida has already beaten Rozenstruik, so well see how it plays out.Reinier de RidderINGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 18: Reinier de Ridder of The Netherlands poses for a portrait after ... [+] his victory during the UFC 311 event at Intuit Dome on January 18, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC)Zuffa LLCThe former two-division champion from ONE showed he deserves to be ranked in the UFC. He made very quick work of Kevin Holland in a fight that RDR seemed to know would be an easy assignment for him.Id love to see him in with No. 11 Paulo Costa or even No. 13 Jack Hermansson.Azamat BekoevInglewood, CA - January 18: Azamat Bekoev (blue) battles Zachary Reese (red) during their bout at ... [+] UFC 311 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California on Saturday, January 18, 2024. Bekoev won the fight by knockout. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)MediaNews Group via Getty ImagesThe short-notice replacement made it clear he belongs in the UFC. Bekoev destroyed Zach Reese with some explosive ground-and-pound strikes. The 29-year-old looked like a guy who is perhaps two wins away from getting a ranked opponent.Ailn PrezINGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 18: Ailin Perez of Argentina reacts after a victory against Karol ... [+] Rosa of Brazil in a bantamweight fight during the UFC 311 event at Intuit Dome on January 18, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)Zuffa LLCBeyond the signature twerking she has become known for, Prez is rapidly improving as a fighter. She maintains an excellent work rate. Shes tough as nails and, most importantly, understands how to win rounds.Prez simply outworked Karol Rosa on Saturday night. When the new rankings drop, and with Holly Holm being released, Prez should leap from No. 13 to No. 8 in the womens bantamweight division.Muin GafurovINGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 18: Muin Gafurov of Tajikistan reacts after the second round against ... [+] Rinya Nakamura of Japan in a bantamweight fight during the UFC 311 event at Intuit Dome on January 18, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)Zuffa LLCSeveral fighters saw their undefeated records demolished on Saturday night. Gafurov was responsible for taking Rinya Nakamuras away.Gafurov is deceptively athletic. He swings and kicks with knock-you-into-next-week power with his strikes, and his ground game is strong.We need to see him produce a little more consistently, but he could be ready to make some noise at 135 pounds. When you consider he lost his first three fights in the UFC and might have been on the cusp of being released ahead of his win over Kyung Ho Kang in June 2024 (Kang was released earlier this month), Gafurov has experienced quite the rise.UFC Stock DownRenato MoicanoINGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 18: Renato Moicano of Brazil reacts after a submission loss against ... [+] Islam Makhachev of Russia in the UFC lightweight championship fight during the UFC 311 event at Intuit Dome on January 18, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC)Zuffa LLCWas it a slip or a knockdown? Thats one of the questions some viewers had after Islam Makhachev briefly hit the ground during a flurry from Moicano in the first round.No mattermoments later, the champion was showing, live and in color, that there are levels to this sport as he made the Brazilian tap quickly to a DArce choke. Quite frankly, Moicano is far from being at Makhachevs lofty height.Moicano wasnt expected to win, but he looked like the 10th-best lightweight in the world, and at 35 years oldto lose that waythats a ceiling-defining loss.Kevin HollandINGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 18: Reinier de Ridder of The Netherlands reacts after a victory ... [+] against Kevin Holland in a middleweight fight during the UFC 311 event at Intuit Dome on January 18, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)Zuffa LLCCharacter and personality are great. They help to sell fights and partially legitimize a fighters presence on a card. However, at some point, fighters have to consistently win to remain useful to the promotion.Holland has lost four of his last five fights and six of his last nine. At 32, hes far from old, but if he hopes to maximize his talent, he needs to make a choice to commit to a weight classideally welterweight.If hes to shift his losing ways, he may have to drop the approach that suggests he doesnt care about winning.Payton TalbottINGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 18: Payton Talbott reacts after a bantamweight fight against Raoni ... [+] Barcelos of Brazil during the UFC 311 event at Intuit Dome on January 18, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC)Zuffa LLCTalbotts loss was not a fraud check. He is still the real deal. What we saw on Saturday was a young and talented prospect run into a tough veteran with an excellent gameplan who took the matchup and the odds personal.Combine that with Talbotts still-developing takedown defense and you get a one-sided major upset. Talbott has a lot of work to do when it comes to grappling, and because of his overall package, critics are going to point to all of the things surrounding his unique character as the reason he stumbled.True or not, that perception is especially damaging after a loss. That said, there is no question in my mind, hell be back.Rinya NakamuraINGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 18: (L-R) Muin Gafurov of Tajikistan drops Rinya Nakamura of Japan ... [+] with a punch in a bantamweight fight during the UFC 311 event at Intuit Dome on January 18, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)Zuffa LLCEven more than Talbott, Nakamura showed cracks in his game. Nakamuras stand-up defense was highly questionable, and he waited too long to look to take the fight to the ground where he would have been more comfortable against Gafurov.Nakamura is a lot further away from being ready to take the next step than Talbott. Quite honestly, pitting the two of them against each other next makes sense.Here is a look at all of the results from UFC 311.(c) Islam Makhachev def. Renato Moicano via first-round submission (Darce Choke)(c) Merab Dvalishvili def. Umar Nurmagomedov via unanimous decision (48-47x2, 49-46) - (FOTN)(POTN) Jiri Prochazka def. Jamahal Hill via third-round TKO(POTN) Jailton Almeida def. Serghei Spivac via first-round TKOReinier de Ridder def. Kevin Holland via first-round submission (rear-naked choke)Raoni Barcelos def. Payton Talbott via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27x2)Azamat Bekoev def. Zach Reese via first-round KOBogdan Guskarov def. Billy Elekana via second-round submission (guillotine)Grant Dawson def. Diego Ferreira via unanimous decision (30-27x3)Ailin Perez def. Karol Rosa via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28x2)Muin Gafarov def. Rinya Nakamura via unanimous decision (30-27x3)Bernardo Sopaj def. Ricky Turcios via unanimous decision (30-27,2, 29-28)Tagir Ulabekov def. Clayton Carpenter via unanimous decision (30-27x2, 29-28)
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