UFC 311, Rookie report

You only get one Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) debut!

UFC is back in “The City of Angles” for UFC 311, its inaugural pay-per-view (PPV) of 2025. It all goes down this weekend (Sat., Jan. 18, 2025) inside Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. The card is stacked from top to bottom and is headlined by two championship fights (check out the entire card here), but two fighters are making their UFC debuts—both on short notice.

Let’s meet them.

Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Billy Elekana

Weight Class: Light Heavyweight

Age: 27

Record: 7-1

Billy Elekana felt like he was on the fast track to compete on Contender Series after four wins to start his professional career with three finishes, but then in 2022, he lost a split decision to Daniel Compton at LFA 137 as a -600 betting favorite, and that derailed him a little.

The Las Vegas native signed with Professional Fighters League (PFL) after his first pro loss and got back on track by winning two fights via decision—even though his exciting style seemed to take a back seat.

After his quick stint with PFL, Elekana took a fight with Light Out Extreme Fighting and knocked his opponent out in less than two minutes with a nasty head kick, which got him back on UFC’s call list … last Saturday, he got the phone call.

Elekana has the knockout power to succeed in the UFC Light Heavyweight division, and his pressure is definitely positive. However, his low volume makes his fights always close. He also has incredible durability with that infamous Hawaiian chin.

Unfortunately, he is fighting a top Light Heavyweight prospect in Bogdan Guskov on short notice, which is a very tough ask.

Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Azamat Bekoev

Weight Class: Middleweight

Age: 29

Record: 18-3

For whatever reason, Azamat Bekoev was not on the UFC’s radar even though he captured Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) gold, which is usually the ticket into the show.

Yes, he went to decision three times in LFA, but he looked very good and even beat Dylan Budka, who got on Contender Series before he did. Even though he got overlooked by UFC, he kept fighting and last year scored a devastating knockout of Chauncey Foxworth to defend his LFA Middleweight title.

UFC is usually criticized for not signing good talent on the regional scene, and deservedly so. However, they did well on this one, as Bekoev is a very good fighter and will have a promising UFC career.

He has knockout power; however, he really shines in wrestling and grappling—where he has eight submission wins.

He does get touched up when he fights, but his fight IQ and awareness usually keep him out of danger.

Bekoev takes on a certified finisher in Zachary Reese, and if he stays out of the way of Reese’s ridiculous power, he should cruise to a unanimous decision win.

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 311 fight card right here, starting with the ESPN+/ESPNEWS “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, before the main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 311: “Makhachev vs. Tsarukyan 2” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.