Fight-by-fight preview | UFC 311: Makhachev vs. Tsarukyan 2

It’s a classic expert versus veteran duo, pitting undefeated youngster Payton Talbott against experienced Brazilian Raoni Barcelos.

Talbott followed his debut win in November 2023 with two finishes in 2024, first stopping Cameron Saaiman in the second round before defeating Yanis Ghemmouri in 19 seconds at UFC 303. Barcelos, who has held that role alongside Umar Nurmagomedov and Kyler Phillips in the recent past, earned a third-round stoppage win over Cristian Quinonez in his only appearance of 2024, moving to 18-5 overall with the victory.

Jailton Almeida vs. Sergei Spivac

Top 10 heavyweights Jailton Almeida and Serghei Spivac look to start the year with a big step forward when they share the Octagon in Saturday’s televised preliminary rounds.

ICYMI: UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Ribas 2 final results

After picking up wins in each of his first six UFC starts, Almeida suffered his first setback last year when he lost to Curtis Blaydes before rebounding with a first-round submission win over Alexandr Romanov. In his only appearance this year, Spivac avenged an earlier loss to Marcin Tybura by defeating the Polish veteran in under two minutes to move to 7-2 in his last nine games.

Zachary Reese vs. Azamat Bekoev

Dana White Contender Series (DWCS) alum Zachary Reese gets a late opponent move on Saturday and welcomes Azamat Bekoev to the UFC.

Reese bounced back from a defeat in his promotional debut at the end of 2023 with two wins last year, making quick work of Julian Marquez before going the distance with Jose Medina in August. Bekoev enters the UFC on a six-fight winning streak overall, having won the interim LFA middleweight title, unified the belts and then successfully defended his title in his last three fights.

Grant Dawson vs. Diego Ferreira