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The referees and judges for the UFC’s first pay-per-view event of the year have been revealed.
California State Athletic Commission’s executive officer Andy Foster provided MMA Junkie with the full list of judges and referees for UFC 311, which takes place Jan. 18 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif.
In the main event, Islam Makhachev puts his lightweight title on the line against Arman Tsarukyan in a second meeting against Arman Tsarukyan. In the co-feature, Merab Dvalishvili will look to defend his bantamweight title against Umar Nurmagomedov.
Working the co-main event will be UFC veteran Chris Leben, who will judge his first UFC title fight. Leben has three total judging assignments throughout the event.
Scroll below to see which referees and judges are on assignment for each fight at UFC 311.
Champion Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan – for lightweight title


Sep 9, 2023; Sydney, NSW, AUSTRALIA; Referee Herb Dean during the fight of Blood Diamond (not pictured) and Charles Radtke (not pictured) during UFC 293 at Qudos Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jasmin Frank-USA TODAY Sports
Referee: Herb Dean
Judges: Sal D’Amato, Derek Cleary, Ron McCarthy
Champion Merab Dvalishvili vs. Umar Nurmagomedov – for bantamweight title
Referee: Jason Herzog
Judges: Chris Leben, Chris Crail, Michael Bell
Jiri Prochazka vs. Jamahal Hill
Referee: Mike Beltran
Judges: Sal D’Amato, Derek Cleary, Jonathan Romero
Beneil Dariush vs. Renato Moicano
Referee: Frank Trigg
Judges: Felicia Oh, Raphael Davis, Michael Bell
Kevin Holland vs. Reinier de Ridder
Referee: Blake Grice
Judges: Sal D’Amato, Derek Cleary, Ron McCarthy
Payton Talbott vs. Raoni Barcelos


Jun 29, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Payton Talbott (red gloves) reacts after knocking out Yanis Ghemmouri (not pictured) during UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Referee: Herb Dean
Judges: Chris Leben, Chris Crail, Jonathan Romero
Jailton Almeida vs. Serghei Spivac


Nov 4, 2023; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Jailton Almeida (red gloves) fights Derrick Lewis (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Ibirapuera Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason da Silva-USA TODAY Sports
Referee: Jason Herzog
Judges: Felicia Oh, Raphael Davis, Michael Bell
Bogdan Guskov vs. Billy Elekana
Referee: Mike Beltran
Judges: Sal D’Amato, Chris Crail, Jonathan Romero
Grant Dawson vs. Diego Ferreira
Referee: Frank Trigg
Judges: Felicia Oh, Raphael Davis, Ron McCarthy
Zachary Reese vs. Azamat Bekoev


LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – AUGUST 22: Zachary Reese reacts after his submission victory over Eli Aronov of Israel in a middleweight fight during Dana White’s Contender Series season seven, week three at UFC APEX on August 22, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Referee: Blake Grice
Judges: Brian Tyler, Derek Cleary, Michael Bell
Karol Rosa vs. Ailin Perez
Referee: Mike Beltran
Judges: Sal D’Amato, Chris Crail, Jonathan Romero
Rinya Nakamura vs. Muin Gafurov


Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Rinya Nakamura fights against Carlos Vera during UFC 298 at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Referee: Jason Herzog
Judges: Chris Leben, Derek Cleary, Felicia Oh
Ricky Turcios vs. Bernardo Sopaj


LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JULY 09: (R-L) Ricky Turcios punches Aiemann Zahabi of Canada in their bantamweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on July 09, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Referee: Frank Trigg
Judges: Brian Tyler, Felicia Oh, Ron McCarthy
Tagir Ulanbekov vs. Clayton Carpenter


Tagir Ulanbekov
Referee: Blake Grice
Judges: Brian Tyler, Raphael Davis, Jonathan Romero
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