Ilia Topuria could be drafted in to corner opposite Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 311

With UFC 311 just over a week away, UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria has been offered the opportunity to make an appearance.

On January 18, the UFC will host its first PPV event of 2025 with two huge title fights atop the blockbuster card.

In the co-main event, Merab Dvalishvili will defend his bantamweight title for the first time since winning it back in September, when he takes on the undefeated phenom, Umar Nurmagomedov.

Islam Makhachev looks to break the record for the most amount of title defenses in UFC lightweight history when he takes on Arman Tsarukyan in a rematch six years in the making.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLCIlia Topuria could corner opposite Khabib Nurmagomedov following offerSomeone who is set for an extremely busy night is former lightweight king, Khabib Nurmagomedov, who is set to corner both Umar and Makhachev in the co-main and main events.

Javier Mendez will of course share corner duties with Nurmagomedov, and he recently revealed that their work together is still ‘a work in progress’.

Ahead of Makhachev’s title defense against ‘Ahalkalakets’, he has been involved in an online feud with current featherweight champion, ‘El Matador’, who is hopeful of securing a fight against the Russian in the near future.

The two have continuously gone back and forth with each other online potentially setting up for a super fight, however, Khabib believes that wouldn’t be fair to other lightweight contenders.

Despite the feud brewing between Makhachev and Ilia Topuria, the Spanish-Georgian has been offered the opportunity to corner opposite Khabib in the co-main event.

NETFLIX: Fans theorize that UFC’s latest broadcast cut opens up path to global Netflix dealDvalishvili and Topuria have a great friendship and have always supported each other on their journeys in the UFC.

With that, ‘The Machine’ is hopeful that the 27-year-old champion will find the time to join his corner which will already include John Wood, Ray Longo, and Aljamain Sterling.

“Yeah, I’m gonna ask Ilia (to be in my corner), if he wants this, we will see,” Dvalishvili told UFC on TNT Sports.

“I’m here, I live here in Las Vegas, training here at Syndicate MMA and John Wood is coaching me. Ray Longo will fly out from New York and Aljamain Sterling my best friend and training partner will be with me.

“I’m gonna ask Ilia if he has time and go from there,” he continued.

Merab Dvalishvili has been told he can only train at the UFC PI at certain timesRecently, Dvalishvili revealed that was turned away from the UFC Performance Institute as he was told Nurmagomedov and his team were already in there training and the UFC wanted to avoid any altercations.

‘The Machine’ was scheduled at the PI to receive some treatment for an ongoing injury, hoping to get it sorted before the fight.

With that, the Georgian has been told that he is able to attend the performance institute after 2pm with Nurmagomedov and his team being allowed there to train in the morning.

“I think now, he’s here in the morning and I guess I’m allowed to come after 2(pm). I was mad because he disrespected me on Twitter which I don’t deserve from him because I know him in person and I always show him respect and I always have a nice conversation with him,” Merab explained to Michael Bisping.