UFC 311 Main Card Predictions
- Preston Witwit
- Jan 16
- 3 min read
Kevin Holland (-105) vs. Reiner De Ridder (-115)
A Middleweight clash against two great diverse fighters, we see if de Ridder can break the self proclaimed “Gatekeeper of 185.” De Ridder submitted Gerald Meerschaert which is unbelievable in his UFC debut. Kevin Holland is coming off of a loss where he suffered a rib injury. But before that he won by first round submission. Over recent years he has been a very up and down fighter and he is super unpredictable. I think that this fight can go either way but I do believe that Kevin Holland will win due to his experience fighting in big main events.
Prediction: Kevin Holland via Unanimous Decision
In this exciting lightweight matchup we get to see two extremely skilled grapplers face off. I doubt that this fight goes to the ground but if it does get ready for wild scrambles and submission attempts from both fighters. It is very hard for me to see if either fighter can take one another down. Which is why I think this fight will come down to who has the better striking. It is very hard for me to tell this because neither have shown a lot on the feet. What I think helps in this fight for Moicano is that he is riding off huge momentum right now and Dariush is coming off two first round losses. Dariush hasn’t looked the same since that Gamrot fight and looks like an old Dariush. This is why I believe Moicano is heavily favored in this fight for me.
Prediction: Renato Moicano via TKO (2nd Round)
In this light-heavyweight clash we see two guys coming off of a loss to the champ Alex Pereira. Most people are riding with Prochazka because of how “dislikable” Hill is. I disagree with this however and this is because Jamahal Hill is an absolute technical monster on the feet. His last fight doesn’t show that but his fight against Glover Texeira showed every bit of that. His striking from his jab and his high kick was on point that night and his defense is very good. The defense in this fight is huge because everybody knows Prochazka doesn’t have the best striking defense. He does have a warrior spirit though that you can argue only he has. The footwork of Prochazka can prevail though but I see Jamahal Hill being able to get this done because of his raw power and defense.
Prediction: Jamahal Hill via TKO (3rd Round)
C Merab Dvalishvili (+230) vs. #2 Umar Nurmagomedov (-285)
In our Co-Main event we see a very heated and intense matchup between the two most skilled Bantamweights in the world right now. The non stop relentless wrestling machine of Merab Dvalishvil taking on the well-rounded Umar Nurmagomedov we are in for a treat I tell you. Umar Nurmagomedov is getting the title shot after beating Cory Sandhagen in an impressive performance. Dvalishvili has one of the best resumes in the entire company right now with wins over Petr Yan, Henry Cejudo, Jose Aldo, and former champion Sean O’ Malley. I believe Merab is being counted out of this fight but for the reason being, he is a one dimensional fighter. Umar on the other hand has so many other ways to win this fight and Merab doesn’t hold and this leads me to believe why Nurmagomedov will win.
Prediction: Umar Nurmagomedov via Unanimous Decision
C Islam Makhachev (-325) vs. #1 Arman Tsarukyan (+260) 2
This is the Main Event of the evening on Saturday and I don’t know what would’ve been a better way to kick off the UFC in 2025 besides this fight. Arman Tsarukyan has no weak spots in his game besides his boxing. Tsarukyan is a very dynamic fighter though and pulls off unbelievable moves in every single fight he fights in. His axe kick vs. Charles Oliveira for example was shocking. Let us not forget that this is a rematch in which Tsarukyan took on Makhachev on short notice and arguably gave him one of his toughest matchups to date. Since then Tsarukyan is 9-1 and Makachev is 14-0 since his last loss. Can Tsarukayan get it done against the #1 P4P fighter and current Lightweight champ this weekend. We will see but if I had to guess I don’t think he does. Makhachev is at the peak of his prime and has made significant improvement in the one aspect where Arman lacks (boxing). I believe Makhechev and Tsarukyan aren’t afraid to go to the ground but I believe Arman will try to be the pressure fighter in this fight as nobody is a better pressure fighter than Makhachev.
Prediction: Islam Makhachev via TKO (4th Round)
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