UFC 311: Islam Makhachev vs Arman Tsarukyan Betting Odds and Prediction

The UFC will host its first pay-per-view card on the promotion’s 2025 schedule, UFC 311 this Saturday, January 18. The event will take place at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.

In the main event, Islam Makhachev puts his lightweight title on the line against Arman Tsarukyan in a rematch. While in the UFC 311 co-main event, bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili will defend his belt against Umar Nurmagomedov.

That said, in this piece, we look at the betting odds for the UFC 311 fight card main event and offer our preview, picks, and predictions for that bout.

UFC 311: Islam Makhachev vs Arman Tsarukyan preview

Since their first meeting, which took place back in 2019, and Makhachev won by unanimous decision, the champion has compiled a 9-0 record with seven finishes and two decisions. He captured the vacant UFC lightweight title in October 2022 with a submission win over former titleholder Charles Oliveira.

Moreover, Makhachev has defended his title three times since defeating Oliveira. His first two title defenses were a decision win and knockout of former UFC featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski. In his most recent matchup, Makhachev submitted former UFC interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC 302.

Arman Tsarukyan (22-3) has a 9-1 record since his loss to Makhachev, which came in his UFC debut. He rebounded from that defeat with five consecutive victories before dropping a decision to Mateusz Gamrot in June 2022. After the loss to Gamrot, Tsarukyan ran off four straight wins with two knockouts and two decisions. He is coming off a split-decision victory over Oliveira at UFC 300 in April.

UFC 311: Makhachev vs Tsarukyan betting odds and prediction

According to BetOnline, Makhachev checks in at -330. Tsarukyan is currently listed at +255.

Makhachev and Tsarukyan have both improved a lot since their first meeting, but the champion remains the better all-around competitor. Tsarukyan will give Makhachev a tough fight, but it’s hard to see anywhere that the challenger can catch Makhachev slipping. The betting pick is for Makhachev to earn a decision win.