UFC 311: Can Islam Makhachev continue his dominance at lightweight?

The first UFC title fights of the year are on the line this weekend, with Islam Makhachev as the headline, defending his lightweight titles against Renato Moicano.

In a last minute change up, an injury to Arman Tsarukyan meant Moicano steps up on just over a days notice.

This will be Makhachev's fourth title defence, as he goes into Saturday's fight on a 14-fight winning streak.

His last win over Dustin Poirier shows how far his striking has improved, while his wrestling remains one of the best the sport has seen.

Taking over from the dominance of his cousin Khabib Nurmagomedov, Makhachev was one of the most feared prospects in the lightweight division for years before claiming the crown at UFC 280.

Back-to-back wins followed against Alexander Volkanovski, before the win over Poirier back in June.

In Moicano, he will face an opponent who is on a roll, as he looks a completely different fighter since stepping up to 155 pounds.

For Moicano, who was preparing to fight Benil Dariush, he has been granted the opportunity of a lifetime.

Moicano's last win was over Benoit Saint Denis in Paris back in September, and will be a huge underdog in Saturday's fight.

Moicano's best attributes are his grappling, but given Makhachev's strength in this area, he will be keen to keep this on the feet.

In the co-main, Merab Dvalishvili makes the first defence of his bantamweight title when he takes on Umar Nurmagomedov.

After wins over former champions Jose Aldo, Petr Yan and Henry Cejudo, Dvalishvili earned his shot at the title at UFC 306, where he dominated Sean O'Malley to a convincing decision win.

The cardio and wrestling of Dvalishvili has created problems for his opponents, as he will be full of energy from minute one to 25.

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