UFC CEO Dana White has made sure that 2025 starts off with a PPV to remember! In a recent bombshell announcement, the UFC boss has revealed that on January 18, at the gleaming new Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, champions will clash and legacies will be written at UFC 311. The headliner? A long-awaited rematch between lightweight kingpin Islam Makhachev and the no.1 contender Arman Tsarukyan.

The two have a long history together as Tsarukyan faced off against the Dagestani warrior back in his UFC debut in April 2019. That fight went the distance with both fighters testing their limits. Makhachev emerged victorious, but Tsarukyan earned more than respect—he earned a place among the LW elite. Now, nearly six years later, their rematch looms large. Makhachev is aiming to extend his title defense streak to four. Tsarukyan? He’s gunning for nothing short of vengeance and the gold!

In the co-main event, the bantamweight belt is up for grabs. Champion Merab Dvalishvili will step into the Octagon with an undefeated storm in Umar Nurmagomedov. In his announcement, White revealed how this matchup came about as he stated, “Merab came into the office late last night, told us that he is tired of listening to Umar disrespect him, and wanted to make this fight happen as soon as possible. We called Umar. He was sleeping in Dagestan, and he said, ‘hell yes, anywhere, anytime’.”

And just when you think the card couldn’t get better, enter the light heavyweights. Jiri Prochazka and Jamahal Hill are former champions with something to prove. Prochazka, after 2 losses to Alex Pereira, is hungry for redemption. Hill, returning from his own knockout loss to ‘Poatan’, is set to throw down in a battle for relevance and perhaps a ticket back to the title picture. With multiple title fights to kick off the New Year, the fans flooded social media with their responses and here’s a look at what they had to say about Dana White’s plans for UFC 311!

Fans joined by Khabib Nurmagomedov and Merab Dvalishvili as Dana White drops bombshell UFC 311 update  

Khabib Nurmagomedov took the comments to share his excitement with the fans. After all, two members of ‘Team Khabib’ will be involved in title fights at UFC 311 in Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov. Although this isn’t the first UFC PPV with multiple belts on the line as in the past, UFC 205, UFC 217 , and UFC 245 were all featured with 3-title fights on the line. But with that being said, the camp’s dominance is undeniable at this point as this might be the first time two UFC belts could head to Dagestan in one night.

@Khabib_nurmagomedov: Two title fights at once! I think it’s never happened before, or hasn’t happened until now. What a night is waiting for me, I hope I’ll survive.

Other fans were cautiously optimistic at the news. Why? Possibly because the Islam Makhachev vs Arman Tsarukyan was, until very recently, still up in the air. According to a statement by the lightweight champion’s manager, Rizvan Magomedov about a week ago, “No [the contract has not been signed], We personally have not signed or received anything yet, but we are preparing for January 18…”

“I’m almost scared it’s too good to be true”

Some fans couldn’t help but take jabs at Jamahal Hill and Jiri Prochazka. Both men have run into the seemingly unstoppable Alex Pereira recently, but this fight may be a shot at regaining their momentum for both men. The build-up has already gotten pretty heated as Hill recently fired off a salvo against Prochazka on his YouTube channel, “I got caught, you got dominated, there’s a huge difference, you feel what I’m saying? My man’s (Pereira) literally had your ponytail leaning to the left. I hope you wear that same ponytail in LA so I can lean that motherf***r to the left right back for you… This is insane”

“How happy are Jiri and Hill knowing they get to fight for the right to get slept by Pereira again. Jokes aside that should be a really good fight! This card is going to be fun.”

The fact that two members of Team Khabib could walk away from UFC 311 with gold around their waists didn’t escape the fan’s notice either. Will this be where the Nurmagomedov dynasty establishes itself as the most dominant camp ever seen in MMA history? What do you think?

“2 Dagestanis could win in 1 night”

The bantamweight showdown is also drawing a lot of attention from the fandom. After all, Merab Dvalishvili himself took to the comments to state, “LFG”, bluntly summing up his intentions to settle the score against Nurmagomedov. Their collision was set in motion by trash talk and timing. Ramadan looming for Umar meant no delays and it looks like Dana White decided to speed things up a bit!

“I am more excited for Merab vs Umar fight than the main event fight. Are you?”

To wrap things up, fans are already buzzing, and rightly so. From the lightweight saga between Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan to the bantamweight clash born of bad blood between Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov, the night is steeped in narratives that demand attention. And let’s not forget the light heavyweight showdown between Jiri Prochazka and Jamahal Hill, a bout dripping with redemption and rivalry. Can Tsarukyan rewrite his debut story and dethrone the lightweight king? Will the Dagestani dominance continue, or does Merab Dvalishvili have other plans? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!