With Max Holloway recently withdrawing from his UFC Vegas 31 main event vs. Yair Rodriguez, the UFC has opted to bump up one of the undercard bouts to headliner status.
MMA Junkie’s John Morgan reported on Wednesday that #9 ranked lightweight contender Islam Makhachev will take on former LFA lightweight champion Thiago Moises in a five-rounder instead of a three-rounder. It’s the first main event spot for either fighter in their respective UFC careers, although Makhachev had previously had a main event vs. Rafael dos Anjos nixed due to injury.
Makhachev (19-1) is a teammate of former (and now retired) UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov.