The arena hosting UFC 311: Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan issues statement about the effect of Los Angeles fires on the event’s continuation

Islam Makhachev will defend his title against Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 311 on Jan. 18 in Los Angeles, at the Intuit Dome. However, the current firestorms raging through the 'City of Angels' have seen several events scheduled to take place at the Intuit Dome being canceled.

The event cancellations have caused concern amongst fans about whether or not UFC 311 will go ahead as planned. Earlier today (Jan. 11), the official Instagram page for the Intuit Dome released a statement regarding the status of the upcoming UFC event.

They wrote:

"The NBA announced the LA Clippers game against the Charlotte Hornets at Intuit Dome has been postponed due to the ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles and out of respect for the public service resources needed during this time. The health and safety of our community and our fans remains our highest priority."

They added:

"Next week's events will continue as scheduled at Intuit Dome, with the [LA] Clippers hosting the Miami Heat on Monday, January 13, and the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday, January 15. We will welcome UFC 311 on Saturday, January 18."

Check out Intuit Dome's post below:

Should Makhachev successfully defend the lightweight title against Tsarukyan, he will become the first fighter to defend the UFC lightweight belt four times, surpassing his close friend and teammate, Khabib Nurmagomedov.

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Arman Tsarukyan explains his surprise at Islam Makhachev accepting UFC 311 fight

Arman Tsarukyan's surprise at Islam Makhachev agreeing to face him at UFC 311 has everything to do with the fight card happening in Los Angeles. The pair will go to war in a rematch of their UFC Fight Night 149 clash, which took place in 2019.

Tsarukyan secured his coveted title shot after defeating Charles Oliveira at UFC 300 in April 2024 in an official lightweight title eliminator bout, and 'do Bronx' is hopeful that he will face the winner of the upcoming 155-pound title clash.

During a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Tsarukyan said:

"90 percent is going to be my fans [at UFC 311]... I'm surprised [that he agreed to the fight] because it's not his territory. I thought he wanted to maybe fight in Saudi Arabia or Dubai or somewhere else, but not in California. California is an Armenian town, you know?"

Check out Arman Tsarukyan's comments about Islam Makhachev below (1:40):