UFC 311, held at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, was a noteworthy event for fight fans in 2025. While the prelims were a little slow in terms of pacing, the main card ensured that every fan in attendance felt the full value of their tickets. UFC 311 had it all, from champions successfully defending their titles to numerous unbeaten fighters leaving with blemishes on their records.

As expected, the event was a massive success as head honcho Dana White revealed, “The gate was $10.2 million, attendance was 18,370, sold out, highest-grossing event in arena history, highest-grossing event in California.” One of the biggest talking points of the event was how four fighters suffered their first MMA losses in just one night. But who were they? Let’s find out.

Umar Nurmagomedov

In the co-main event of UFC 311, the bantamweight champion stamped his status as a legitimate champion of the weight division, souring Umar Nurmagomedov’s title aspirations. The Dagestani started the first two rounds strong by connecting power punches and even dropping the Georgian. But in the third round, Nurmagomedov began to feel the effects of fatigue and did not respond well to the pressure of ‘The Machine’, who would end up breaking the record for most takedowns in UFC history (91), previously held by Georges St-Pierre (90).

In the final round, Merab Dvalishvili lived up to his nickname and overwhelmed the Russian with a gale of punches and multiple takedowns. With the action reaching the limit, the Georgian won by a 48–47, 48–47, 49–46 unanimous. He is now on a twelve-fight winning streak. On the other hand, Umar Nurmagomedov lost his undefeated 18-fight MMA record. With the nearly 500 punches thrown and 45 takedown attempts (via UFC Stats) being a testament to the frenetic action over five rounds, the UFC designated the bout as the event’s Fight of the Night. This is only the third $50,000 bonus Dvalishvili has received.

Clayton Carpenter

Clayton Carpenter came into the flyweight bout with an 8-0 record and high expectations. The Arizona native was known for his powerful striking and unpredictable submissions, with six wins coming via stoppage. UFC 311 was intended to be a stepping stone for his ascension through the ranks. Carpenter got a strong start, landing hard blows with clean striking in the first round. His footwork and movement kept his opponent guessing, and it seemed like he was going to deliver another amazing performance. However, as the bout progressed, the momentum shifted.

Tagir Ulanbekov started taking advantage of his defensive flaws in the second round. The 28-year-old struggled with takedown defense and clinch work. Carpenter’s energy finally ran out in the fourth round, when Ulanbekov dominated the exchanges with ground-and-pound and picture-perfect positioning. So, when the results were announced, to no one’s surprise, the judges voted unanimously against Carpenter. With this, he received his very first professional loss. A tough pill to swallow for the flyweight prospect, and a night he would love to forget.

Rinya Nakamura

Rinya Nakamura, the Japanese bantamweight sensation, entered UFC 311 with a perfect 9-0 record. Known for his strong wrestling background and knockout power, ‘Hybrid’ is regarded as a future contender in the division. His ability to seamlessly combine striking and grappling made him an impossible matchup for his opponents. Nakamura started his UFC 311 bout being ever so aggressive, something that his fans are very well aware of. In the opening round, he showed off his powerful punching game by landing numerous clean blows that shocked Muin Gafurov. The 29-year-old’s grappling movements were flawless, and it appeared that the bout would end early in his favor.

However, Nakamura eventually had to pay the price for his explosive speed. By the second round, his opponent had begun to turn the battle around, taking advantage of the Japanese star’s depleting energy. Despite losing the explosiveness, Nakamura continued his aggression, but created openings that Muin Gafurov took advantage of. It allowed the 28-year-old Tajik fighter to land perfect counters and establish dominant ground positions. The third round was a one-sided affair, with Nakamura failing to establish a serious offense. The judges scored the bout unanimously in favor of Gafurov, resulting in Nakamura’s first career loss.

Payton Talbott

Raoni Barcelos exposed all the shortcomings of Payton Talbott (9–1) at UFC 311. The Brazilian landed as a massive underdog going into his bout with Talbott, but he did not shrink against the American fighter, who seemed to have no answer for the takedowns and groundwork. A former RFA champion and even a member of the UFC 135-pound top 15, Barcelos did not hesitate to exploit the weaknesses of the 26-year-old fighter, pressing him to the ground and trying multiple submission attempts.

Talbott kept his foot on the accelerator, but every time it seemed he was going to turn on, the Carioca used his extensive and superior grappling background to nullify him. With the action going the distance, the BJJ black belt took a well-deserved unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–26). Barcelos, 37, sealed his first series of victories since 2020. He recently submitted Cristian Quiñónez within three rounds at UFC Mexico City.

Talbott, who emerged from Dana White’s Contender Series, came into this numbered event against Yanis Ghemmouri following victories over Cameron Saaiman, and Nick Aguirre. Which defeat shocked you the most? Were you rooting against one of these fighters? Let us know in the comments.