What’s Next For The Main Card Winners At UFC 311?
The first UFC pay-per-view event of 2025 went down this past weekend and fans were treated to an evening of exciting finishes at UFC 311 at the brand new Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
Both the UFC bantamweight and lightweight titles were retained at the top end of a main card during UFC 311 that was made up by interesting contests in the heavyweight, light heavyweight and middleweight divisions.
Let’s take a look at who could be the next opponents for the winners of those main card fights.
Islam Makhachev
Islam Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) extended his winning streak to 15 in UFC 311 as he successfully defended his lightweight strap for the fourth time against a late-notice replacement opponent in Renato Moicano.
A D’arce choke in the final minute of the opening round put paid to Moicano’s short-lived bid to become champion and finally convinced Dana White to declare him as the sport’s pound-for-pound number one fighter.
“Yeah, I’ll give it to him,” White told reporters during the UFC 311 post-event news conference. “Are you happy? Is everybody happy now?”
White had long argued that he believed Jon Jones should be ranked above Makhachev, but it seems he has now changed his mind.
“Hundred percent, there’s no doubt about it,” White continued. “He’s the pound-for-pound best in the world, and he’s definitely the best to ever do it in that division.”
While he was full of praise for Makhachev in the wake of yet another victory, White didn’t keep that same energy for Arman Tsarukyan, who fell out of the UFC 311 main event on weigh-in day with a back injury.
“He’s not getting a title shot,” White said about the Armenian challenger. “That means he’s going to have to fight his way back to the title.”
White’s words will have a massive bearing on the immediate future of both the lightweight and featherweight divisions. With Makhachev having conclusively beaten all of the most viable contenders at the top of the 155 lb rankings, it’s very possible a superfight against featherweight champion Ilia Topuria could be next.
Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) had an amazing 2024, knocking out both Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway and has recently spoken of his plans to make the move up to challenge for Makhachev’s belt.
Fight To Make: Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria
Merab Dvalishvili
Bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) reminded the MMA world just who they were dealing with with a fantastic performance over five rounds in the UFC 311 co-main event.
“The Machine” came into his first title defense against the unbeaten Umar Nurmagomedov as an underdog in the bookie’s (and most fans) eyes, and put on the type of performance we have become accustomed to seeing from the Georgian throughout his amazing unbeaten run inside the Octagon over the past seven years.
Since losing against Ricky Simon back in 2018, Dvalishvili has rattled off twelve consecutive wins, a run which helped him caprture the 135 lb title last September at UFC 306.
Dvalishvili’s run has seen him take out a long list of dangerous contenders and former champions such as Nurmagomedov, O’Malley, Petr Yan, Jose Aldo and Henry Cejudo to effectively clear out the division.
The 34-year-old holds wins over the top three-ranked contenders, and with those outside that group (Cory Sadhagen, Deiveson Figueiredo) coming off of recent defeats, it’s likely the champion may have to rematch a former foe next time out.
Given that the UFC clearly love the idea of having Sean O’Malley sitting in the hot seat at 135 lbs (they did, after all, hand him Marlon Vera for his first title defense at the expense of Merab), the smart money should be put on “Suga” getting the next shot at Dvalishvili’s belt.
Fight To Make: Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley
Jiří Procházka
UFC 311 couldn’t have gone much better for Jiří Procházka (31-5-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC) from a PR perspective, as the former 205 lb champion picked up an impressive TKO victory over Jamahal Hill.
With Hill seemingly embracing his role as the heel of the light heavyweight division over the past six months, Procházka’s win (along with his wholesome interaction with a fan who is battling cancer) has elevated him in the eyes of the wider UFC fanbase.
Procházka had been hoping for a third crack at Alex Pereira’s title following the victory over “Sweet Dreams” but with the UFC announcing during the UFC 311 broadcast that “Poatan” will face Magomed Ankalaev in March, it seems Procházka will need another dance partner.
Another of Pereira’s recent opponents, Khalil Rountree Jr. is available and would provide an exciting test for Procházka. “The War Horse” lost to Pereira after an epic battle at UFC 307 in October.
Fight To Make: Jiří Procházka vs. Khalil Rountree Jr.
Jailton Almeida
Jailton Almeida (22-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) continued his fine run in the UFC heavyweight division at UFC 311, picking up his seventh win in eight appearances as he finished Serghei Spivac inside the opening round.
With Tom Aspinall and Jon Jones in negotiations for a title unification bout sometime this year, the time is now for the next heavyweight contender to stake his claim, and Almeida, who has finished six of those seven wins inside the distance, is leading that charge.
Should the Jones vs. Aspinall fight get made, we could see Almeida face Cyril Gane, who picked a contentious split decision win over Alexander Volkov at UFC 310 in December.
Fight To Make: Jailton Almeida vs. Cyril Gane
Reinier de Ridder
Former ONE FC champion Reinier de Ridder (19-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) continued his unbeaten start to life in the UFC middleweight division on Saturday night when he submitted Kevin Holland in the opening round with relative ease to kick off UFC 311’s main card.
“The Dutch Knight” called for a fight against former champion Robert Whittaker or current contender Khamzat Chimaev during an the post-fight press conference but it’s unlikely the unranked newcomer would leapfrog most of the division to nab a fight of that maginitude.
Should the UFC be looking to push “RDR” into the rankings by way of a big name matchup, however, a fight against former title challenger Paulo Costa might be on the cards.
The Brazilian sits eleventh in the rankings and hasn’t been seen inside the Octagon since a split decision loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 302 last June.
Fight To Make: Reinier de Ridder vs. Paulo Costa