Dana White shares that a late-night discussion with one of his champions played a key role in enhancing the lineup for UFC 311.
On Wednesday night, the UFC President announced the main and co-main events for his first pay-per-view event of 2025 via social media.
The card will feature lightweight champion Islam Makhachev in the main event, where he will face top contender Arman Tsarukyan in a title fight rematch. The two previously met in 2019, with Makhachev winning that bout.
In the co-main event, Merab Dvalishvili will defend his bantamweight title for the first time against the undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov, who brings an impressive record of 18-0 into the octagon.
Dana White discusses the decision to book the UFC 311 co-main event
Initially, Dvalishvili expressed reluctance to fight Nurmagomedov, who has only one ranked victory over Cory Sandhagen in the bantamweight division. Many, including Dvalishvili himself, believed Nurmagomedov needed to secure more notable wins prior to receiving a title shot. However, following a conversation with Dvalishvili earlier this week, White decided to move forward with the fight.
During his UFC 311 announcement, White explained, “We finalized last night that the co-main event will feature a bantamweight title fight between champion Merab Dvalishvili and undefeated number one contender Umar Nurmagomedov.
“Merab came into my office late last night and expressed that he’s tired of hearing Umar disrespect him and wants to make this fight happen as soon as possible.
“We reached out to Umar, who was sleeping in Dagestan, and he replied, ‘Hell yes! Anywhere, any time.’”
Khabib Nurmagomedov prepares for a big role at UFC 311
Since his retirement in 2020, Khabib Nurmagomedov has established himself as a top-tier coach in MMA, training champions across all major promotions.
He will be present in California for UFC 311, playing a crucial role during both title fights on the card. After White’s announcement, Nurmagomedov took to social media to note the significance of his upcoming involvement in back-to-back title bouts for his fighters, Makhachev and Umar.
He posted on Instagram: “Two title fights at once! I think this has never happened before… What a night awaits me; I hope I’ll make it through.”
