Max Holloway, Ariel Helwani, Dillon Danis, and others react as Islam Makhachev finishes short-notice rival Renato Moicano with incredible D'Arce choke

The UFC 311 main event saw lightweight champion Islam Makhachev defend his title against unexpected challenger Renato Moicano in Los Angeles. Makhachev was initially scheduled to face Arman Tsarukyan but had to adjust after the Armenian withdrew due to a back injury.

Moicano, originally slated to fight Beneil Dariush, stepped in on just a day's notice to face Makhachev.

Makhachev entered the fight as the pound-for-pound king, having previously defeated Dustin Poirier, Charles Oliveira, and Alexander Volkanovski twice. Moicano showed promise in the opening exchanges, landing sharp jabs and defending takedowns.

However, Makhachev’s relentless wrestling overwhelmed the challenger as he retained his title emphatically with a submission win. He locked in a D'Arce choke to seal the first-round victory and break the record for most lightweight title defenses in UFC history.

Check out Islam Makhachev's submission win against Renato Moicano below:

Several fans and fighters took to X to react to Makhachev's win. Former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway wrote:

"What a first PPV card to start the year! #UFC311"

Featherweight contender Arnold Allen was impressed by Makhachev's technique:

"Islam's got a crazy squeeze, such a nice D’arce #UFC311"

Former UFC two-division champion Henry Cejudo wrote that he wants the Dagestani to move up in weight class:

"Islam Makhachev needs to move up to welterweight and become double champ! #UFC311"

Meanwhile, Dillon Danis wrote:

"Islam wouldn’t be able to handle my grappling. That was a gimme fight and shouldn’t even count as a title defense."

Demetrious Johnson, who recently trained with Makhachev, claimed that the Russian submitted him with the same move:

"I got hit with it twice in one round!"

Featherweight champion Ilia Topuria wrote:

"Islam, if I want to, I can finish you.if I want to, I can knock you out. I'll make it look easy. See you soon."

Check out some of the reactions below:

Pros react to Islam Makhachev's submission win against Renato Moicano. [Screenshots courtesy: Accounts on X]