On January 18, the first major UFC event of the year took place after a lot of inhibitions about it. UFC 311 promised to be one of the best events of 2025, with two belts up for grabs and a plethora of compelling bouts and top-level fighters. However, there was major uncertainty about the venue for the evening, the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California, as the devastating wildfires were sweeping across the region. In fact, Joe Rogan revealed that if it wasn’t for Dana White, the whole event would have probably been scrapped.

Speaking to stand-up comic Brian Simpson, the JRE host revealed that he had a conversation with Dana White before UFC 311 about either canceling or moving the event to a new place. So, what stopped them? The Clipper game, apparently. Joe Rogan said, “We did the UFC there; we did the UFC like in the middle of the fires. I didn’t think we were going to do it. I was like, are we going to do it here? And Dana was like, We’re going to do it. The Clippers are going to play there on, I forget what day, but earlier in the week. And if the Clippers play, we’re going to do it.”

The UFC commentator further revealed that had the Clippers canceled their match, the UFC would’ve gone to Las Vegas. “They were going to do Vegas. They were just going to move everybody to Vegas if it got worse.” Other sporting events, such as NFL playoff games or NBA games, were also either postponed or moved. However, Dana White stuck to his gut feeling and managed to pull off the impossible during the natural calamity devastating the state of California.

But had they also decided to switch to a different city as Joe Rogan wanted, they would’ve lost out on the massive $10.2 million gate they earned from the mega event. However, the massive money did not come without its costs. And this time, it was the fighters who had to pay the price to make the event a major success. How? By receiving major injuries that ruled them out for a long time.

Fighters pay the price at Dana White’s massive event

UFC 311 provided high-stakes action as Dana White promised, but for four fighters, the aftermath meant an extended absence from competition. The California State Athletic Commission issued six-month medical suspensions to Jailton Almeida, Serghei Spivac, Umar Nurmagomedov, and Bogdan Guskov for the injuries they suffered during their respective fights.

Almeida, who defeated Spivac on the main card, sustained a probable fracture in his right foot. Ironically, Spivac suffered a similar injury, as well as a possible serious jaw issue. Both heavyweights will be out for up to 180 days unless cleared by a specialist. In the co-main event, Umar Nurmagomedov fractured his left hand early in his title fight with Merab Dvalishvili.

Bogdan Guskov rounds off the list, having won the preliminary card but leaving with a damaged hand. He, like the others, needs medical clearance before he can compete again. With these fighters out for the foreseeable future, it seems like UFC 311 might have somewhat been cursed. What do you think? Did you like the mega event? Let us know in the comments.