Makhachev will now face Moicano for lightweight title

In a wild turn of events, Islam Makhachev  (26-1) will take on “Money” Renato Moicano (20-5-1) in UFC 311 on Pay-Per-View on Saturday.

Moicano was originally supposed to face off against Beneil Dariush, and Makhachev was supposed to face Arman Tsarukyan.

Tsarukyan had suffered a back injury and had to pull out of the fight.

As of this morning at weigh-in, Moicano has qualified for the championship fight. Moicano was prepared to step in to fight this weekend.

Makhachev is looking to make history at UFC 311.

He will become the first lightweight champion with four successful title defenses. Makhachev is coming off a win by submission against Dustin Poirier last June. He is expected to run through Moicano as a heavy betting favorite.

Moicano has been on a run of his own recently. He got some attention in his last four fights. He completely dominated Benoit Saint-Denis. Moicano then came back against Jalin Turner.