Tsarukyan drops, Makhachev to face replacement Moicano at UFC 311 in pursuit of record title defense

Islam Makhachev said he isn't concerned with being known as the greatest lightweight of all time, but does value setting records and earning his way into the UFC Hall of Fame.

He has a chance to do something Saturday night in Inglewood, California, that no other fighter in his division has ever accomplished — successfully defend his belt four times. Four others have done it three times.

And if he does that, Makhachev puts himself in lightweight GOAT status.

“I swear I never think about that,” Makhachev said.

Standing in his way is 10th-ranked challenger Renato Moicano. He is a late-hour replacement for top-ranked challenger Arman Tsarukyan, who pulled out of the bout Friday because “of significant back pain” related to an injury, UFC CEO Dana White announced on X.

Makhachev — the UFC's top-ranked pound-for-pound fighter — is one of three fighters who will enter the Octagon from the same Russian gym. Umar Nurmagomedov will try to win the bantamweight championship in the co-main event and Tagir Ulanbekov will compete in a flyweight match.

“This is the biggest night for the team,” Makhachev said.

Makhachev, 33, takes a 26-1 record into the fight that includes a division-record 14-match winning streak. He claimed his first championship Oct. 22, 2022, in a second-round submission of Charles Oliveira. Makhachev since twice defended his title against Alexander Volkanovski and once against Dustin Poirier.

Two of those fights ended before the final bell, and the one that went the distance — the first meeting with Volkanovski — was a unanimous decision.

Tsarukyan said he had been waiting for this opportunity since Makhachev became the champion, hoping that one day he would get his shot. He knew he had some work to do first, working his way up from around a No. 10 ranking.

Now he will have more work and waiting ahead of him.

Moicano, a 35-year-old from Brazil, is 20-5-1 with six victories in his past seven matches. That includes a four-bout winning streak, three of them ending by submission or technical knockout.

“Moicano's been on a tear since moving up to 155 pounds,” White said in his video announcement. "The guy is an absolute savage, and every fight he's in is a war. He weighed in at championship weight as the backup in case something happened, and when we spoke to him this morning, I can tell you, he wants this fight.

“And when I called Islam, Islam said, ‘Brother, I am the champion. I don’t care who it is. I will fight anyone.'”

Moicano posted on X: “Hey guess what I will be world champion tomorrow!”

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

FILE - Islam Makhachev of Russia celebrates after he beats Alex Volkanovski of Australia in the UFC lightweight championship fight during UFC 294, at the Ethihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Oct. 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili, File)

PARIS (AP) — A Paris court is to rule on Monday in a case involving 10 people accused of cyberbullying French first lady Brigitte Macron by spreading false online claims about her gender and sexuality, allegations her daughter said damaged her health and family life.

The defendants, eight men and two women aged 41 to 60, are accused of posting “numerous malicious comments” falsely claiming that President Emmanuel Macron ’s wife was born a man and linking the 24-year age gap with her husband to pedophilia. Some of the posts were viewed tens of thousands of times.

Brigitte Macron did not attend the two-day trial in October.

Her daughter, Tiphaine Auzière, testified about what she described as the “deterioration” of her mother’s life since the online harassment intensified. “She cannot ignore the horrible things said about her,” Auzière told the court. She said the impact has extended to the entire family, including Macron’s grandchildren.

Defendant Delphine Jegousse, 51, who is known as Amandine Roy and describes herself as a medium and an author, is considered as having played a major role in spreading the rumor after she released a four-hour video on her YouTube channel in 2021.

The X account of Aurélien Poirson-Atlan, 41, known as Zoé Sagan on social media, was suspended in 2024 after his name was cited in several judicial investigations.

Other defendants include an elected official, a teacher and a computer scientist. Several told the court their comments were intended as humor or satire and said they did not understand why they were being prosecuted. They face up to two years in prison if convicted.

The case follows years of conspiracy theories falsely alleging that Brigitte Macron was born under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux, which is actually the name of her brother. The Macrons have also filed a defamation suit in the United States against conservative influencer Candace Owens.

The Macrons, who have been married since 2007, first met at the high school where he was a student and she was a teacher. Brigitte Macron, 24 years her husband’s senior, was then called Brigitte Auzière, a married mother of three.

Emmanuel Macron, 48, has been France’s president since 2017.

FILE - French President's wife Brigitte Macron arrives ahead of the ceremony outside "La Belle Equipe" bar, Thursday Nov. 13, 2025 in Paris as part of ceremonies marking the 10th anniversary of terrorist attacks. (Ludovic Marin, Pool photo via AP, File)