The two first met in Tsarukyan’s promotional debut in 2019. As expected, the Fight of the Night-earning bout was full of highly competitive grappling exchanges, with the Armenian giving the champion one of his toughest tests to date. Makhachev’s relentless pressure and four takedowns helped secure a unanimous decision victory.
Since their first meeting, Makhachev has won nine straight, extending his win streak to 14. That stretch included a title-winning performance over former 155-pound champion Charles Oliveira, and three successful title defenses, twice against Alexander Volkanovski and, most recently, over Dustin Poirier.
Tsarukyan has won nine of his last 10 bouts, including a first-round knockout of Beneil Dariush and a split decision victory over Oliveira. With both fighters on impressive win streaks, and their first encounter proving to be a highly competitive battle, this rematch in UFC 311’s main event has quickly become one of the most intriguing matchups in the lightweight division.
First appeared on www.ufc.com