UFC 311: B/R Main Card Staff Predictions

Editor's note: Saturday's main event is now Islam Makhachev vs. Renato Moicano.

This Saturday's UFC 311 card will mark the promotion's first pay-per-view of the year and already it's delivered in unpredictability.

It's topped by two title fights. In the lead spot, lightweight champ and reigning pound-for-pound king Islam Makhachev will take on last-minute replacement Renato Moicano after Arman Tsarukyan was to pull out due to injury.

In the co-headliner, Makhachev's training partner, Umar Nurmagomedov, will attempt to swipe the bantamweight title from another pound-for-pound talent in Merab Dvalishvili. Before we get to the title fights, we'll be treated to a light heavyweight clash between former champs and proven knockout artists Jiri Prochazka and Jamahal Hill, and a heavyweight fight between Jailton Almeida vs. Serghei Spivac.

The main card will be kicked off by an appetizing middleweight fight between fan favorite Kevin Holland, and former two-division ONE Championship title holder Reinier de Ridder, who will be searching for his second UFC win.

It has all the makings of an unforgettable night.

Here's how the B/R combat sports squad sees it all going down.

Haris Kruskic: An unstoppable force meets an immovable object.

Merab Dvalishvili's relentless wrestling has powered him to the UFC bantamweight championship. No one has even come close to stopping it over the last six years and that's a scary proposition for anyone going up against "The Machine."

However, 18-0 Umar Nurmagomedov may just have the striking needed to do it. His résumé leaves much to be desired, but that's more on the many fighters who have declined to fight him than it is on the 135-pound phenom. Nurmagomedov answered the call when he needed to.

Still, I'm going with Dvalishvili. Despite Nurmagomedov training with exceptionally talented Dagestani wrestlers, one can't truly replicate the smothering pressure Dvalishvili's wrestling has. Time after time, foes get dragged into the deep water and succumb to it. Dvalishvili gets the biggest win of his career on Saturday.

Prediction: Dvalishvili by unanimous decision

Nick Akerman: Sean O'Malley, sit down. Here we have a genuine pick 'em that is likely to be defined by who has the energy to navigate the pits of hell. This should be grueling right from the off as both fighters chip away to impose their game plan.

Dvalishvili will need to do something no other fighter has managed: take Nurmagomedov down. Any time spent on the feet will slightly favor the challenger. As Haris hinted, that's not an ideal route to victory for Nurmagomedov, who might feel being brave and fighting fire with fire in the grappling department could catch the champion off guard.

Prediction: Dvalishvili by unanimous decision

Tom Taylor: I'll admit that, on paper, Umar Nurmagomedov seems to have all the skills to dethrone Merab Dvalishvili. He's a way better striker than the champ, and he's a good enough grappler to at least hang with the Georgian takedown machine on the mat.

However, sometimes there's more to a matchup than the skill of the two fighters involved, and I feel like that's the case here. Dvalishvili has long seemed like the kind of guy who refuses to lose, and now, as he prepares to defend his title as a significant underdog, he seems to feel disrespected. I think that's going to motivate him. I think we're going to see vintage Dvalishvili at UFC 311, but an even better version than we've seen in the past. My bet is he attempts at least 20 takedowns throughout the matchup and succeeds on enough of them to win the fight on points.

Prediction: Merab Dvalishvili by unanimous decision

Lyle Fitzsimmons: I was in early and stayed long on the Sean O'Malley hype train.

So, when he faced Merab the last time out, I was pretty certain he'd find a way over 25 minutes to dissuadeDvalishvili. But he never did. He's among the best strikers in the UFC, if not the best. And if he couldn't keep it from turning into a grinder, I can't see Nurmagomedov doing it either. Indeed, Umar won't be as out of his element as "Suga Sean" was when it gets to the mat, but it's still not enough.

Prediction: Dvalishvili by unanimous decision

Haris Kruskic: I really hate this fight for Jiri Prochazka. Coming off a second knockout loss to Alex Pereira only to step in the cage with another power puncher of Jamahal Hill's ilk just feels ill-advised. As much as I think both fighters are of similar skill, Prochazka's chin will be tested. When it is, I'm unsure he's getting back up.

Prediction: Hill by KO, Rd. 2

Nick Akerman: The beauty of this fight is probably summed up by my initial reaction being the complete opposite of Haris'. Is Jiri Prochazka the fight for Jamahal Hill after his loss to Alex Pereira?

Maybe I'm over-egging it, but I see the Czech star as more likely to turn his fortunes around and more likely to send his opponent face first against the canvas. There's no doubt this is a dangerous fight for both, one that could do major damage to their future prospect of losing to Pereira again…

Prediction: Prochazka by KO, Rd. 2

Tom Taylor: I'm not sold on Jamahal Hill. He's scored some impressive wins and has some serious knockout power, but he's a bit of a clumsy striker at times — mainly in terms of his footwork — and there is still quite a bit of mystery surrounding his ground game.

I think he's going to get cooked by Jiri Prochazka. Not only does the Czech star have way better wins on his resume, but he also has a way higher knockout rate — 86 percent compared to Hill's 58 percent – and a proven submission game to fall back on.

I agree with Haris that Hill's power and Prochazka's recent knockout losses to Pereira make for some interesting variables, but I have a lot of confidence in the Czech samurai in this matchup, so I'll follow Nick's lead.

Prediction: Prochazka by KO, Rd. 2

Lyle Fitzsimmons: Unlike Tom, I am a Jamahal Hill believer. Though I'll concede he didn't give nearly the fight to Alex Pereira that I thought he would, I still believe he's among the best in the weight class when healthy. Which means I'll have no excuses after this one. Prochazka is interesting and different and unique and all that stuff, but he's left me longing when it comes to results, too. It's a crossroads bout and I think Hill lands the shot that gives him a career jolt.

Prediction: Hill by TKO, Round 2

Haris Kruskic: Despite Kevin Holland losing five of his last eight fights, this just feels like one he can win. If Gerald Meerschaert could rock Reinier de Ridder in his UFC debut, one must think Holland could do so much more.

De Ridder is a very talented grappler, but his chin may still be feeling the effects of Anatoly Malykhin from his days with ONE Championship.

Prediction: Holland by TKO, Rd. 2

Nick Akerman: I mean no disrespect to Reinier de Ridder, but I think he will struggle in the UFC. His win over Gerald Meerschaert did little to dispel this thought and if anything, made it more prominent. I think Kevin Holland, with the unpredictable danger he brings, is going to be a very exposing fight for the former ONE Championship man.

Holland just needs to keep focused. He's prone to trying silly things and De Ridder is more than capable of taking advantage, but really, this should be a simple win for the American who will be desperate to avoid a fourth loss in five fights. Holland's activity and entertainment factor produces a lot of goodwill. He needs results, though.

Prediction: Holland by KO, Rd. 2.

Tom Taylor: I spent many years of my combat sports journalism career reporting on ONE Championship in Asia. During that time, I got to know Reinier de Ridder pretty well and also saw him fight live numerous times—including one of his title wins, and his first loss to Anatoly Malykhin. What I can tell you about him is that he is way better than he looked in his losses to Malykhin or his hard-fought win over Gerald Meerschaert. He is also a huge middleweight.

Holland's unorthodox striking and deceptive knockout power definitely make this matchup interesting, but in my mind, "RDR" has the perfect style and the right physical tools to maul his foe on the mat, just like the likes of Khamzat Chimaev and Derek Brunson have in the past.

Prediction: De Ridder by submission, Rd. 2

Lyle Fitzsimmons: Holland is the more familiar commodity, and I was ready to pull the lever in his direction until Tom convinced me otherwise. I never thought Holland was the greatest thing since sliced bread anyway, and if my esteemed colleague believes that his man de Ridder has more of a ceiling than the desultory performance against Meerschaert, I'll buy it.

Prediction: De Ridder by unanimous decision

Haris Kruskic: Well, that escalated quickly.

Arman Tsarukyan pulled out of the UFC 311 main event due to a back injury, so up steps Renato 'Money' Moicano to take on Islam Makhachev. Moicano has a glaring hole in his game when it comes to wrestling. Rafael Dos Anjos most recently exploited that during Moicano's last loss, keeping the fight on the ground and bludgeoning his opponent. If Dos Anjos could do that, I can only imagine what prime Makhachev would do.

Moicano will be tough, but the defending champ eventually finds the finish.

Prediction: Makhachev by TKO, Rd. 2

Lyle Fitzsimmons: Seems like a case of "be careful what you wish for..." for the man known these days as "Money" Moicano.

Ol' Renato has been banging his chest and flapping his gums pretty well while beating the likes of Drew Dober and Jalin Turner over the last couple of years, claiming in post-fight rants that he's ready for the biggest of the big time.

This just in: He won't be.

Makhachev figured to be better than Tsarukyan by nearly every measure in the planned main event, and it's an even bigger gap over the replacement. Says here it'll get to the mat in the first few minutes of the opening round and there won't be a need for a second.

Prediction: Makhachev by submission, Round 1