For those who wanted one other instance of how bulletproof the UFC has been in 2024, UFC 310 is it.
By some means, the promotion’s ultimate pay-per-view of the yr feels each thrown collectively and in addition like an absolute blockbuster of a card on the identical time. No, we’re not getting the long-awaited first title protection of Belal Muhammad, however even with the welterweight champion out, the matchmakers had a second title battle already booked that slotted completely into the principle occasion.
Alexandre Pantoja has been the person at 125 kilos, the lightest males’s division within the UFC that’s far too usually ignored. All Pantoja has accomplished is knock off ranked contender after ranked contender, displaying off his flawless all-around sport and incomes a spot in the top-5 of our Pound-for-Pound Rankings. And now he faces a challenger within the debuting Kai Asakura that has the whole lot to achieve and nothing to lose.
The UFC even discovered a option to preserve Muhammad’s opponent Shavkat Rakhmonov on the cardboard, pivoting from a title battle to Ian Machado Garry, manifesting a uncommon battle of undefeateds that retains the contender line so as no matter who’s victorious.
Add in former champions Ciryl Gane, Aljamain Sterling, and Chris Weidman, plus longtime contenders Movsar Evloev, Alexander Volkov, Dominick Reyes, Anthony Smith, to not point out straight-up lifers Clay Guida and Michael Chiesa, and also you’ve acquired a recipe for a memorable near the PPV calendar.
All that and we’re blessed by a Nate Landwehr–Doo Ho Choi predominant card opener (please sir, I need some extra!), and the return of Kron Gracie as he fights Bryce Mitchell. We had been all ready for that one, proper?
What: UFC 310
The place: T-Cell Enviornment in Las Vegas
When: Saturday, Dec. 7. The five-fight early preliminary card begins at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN+, adopted by a four-fight preliminary card airing on ESPN2 and FX at 8 p.m. ET. The five-fight predominant card begins at 10 p.m. ET completely on ESPN+ pay-per-view.
(Numbers in parentheses point out standing within the MMA Preventing International Rankings and Pound-for-Pound Rankings)
Alexandre Pantoja (1, P4P-4) vs. Kai Asakura
Name me loopy, however I’m going upset right here.
I’m as a lot of an Alexandre Pantoja man as anybody, to the purpose that I’d even give him an opportunity in a hypothetical Demetrious Johnson battle. That’s how excessive in regard I maintain his talent and toughness. However types make fights and on paper, Kai Asakura has the type to beat Pantoja and change into the UFC’s first Japanese champion.
Asakura towered over Pantoja at their faceoff and that’s going to be an element within the cage. He’s nice at combating from distance, but additionally likes to combine it in up shut with thrives of violent Muay Thai. His previous two wins had been sparked by knees to the breadbasket and it’s that physique work that may very well be his path to victory in opposition to the steel-chinned Pantoja. For those who can’t hit them excessive, chop them down low.
A mixing of the martial arts ought to favor Pantoja. “The Cannibal” has top-notch grappling along with a busy hanging type, and he’s proven he is aware of how one can grind out a choice if the chance for a end doesn’t current itself. It’s not like Asakura is a slouch on the bottom, although, he simply prefers to make use of his grappling expertise to take the motion again to the toes.
5 rounds offers Asakura loads of time to search out his rhythm and I feel he does, turning it up from Spherical 3 on and displaying everybody what all of the hype is about. It’s virtually 2025, let’s get loopy.
Asakura by KO/TKO within the fourth.
Decide: Asakura
Shavkat Rakhmonov (T2, P4P-18) vs. Ian Machado Garry (7)
I’m not feeling fairly as daring with my co-main occasion name.
Ian Machado Garry is a fantastic expertise and somebody who may work his option to a title battle sometime, however he’s no Shavkat Rakhmonov. The Kazakh star has a ending intuition few can match and that can come into play right here. Regardless of how protected Garry tries to play it, Rakhmonov will shut the gap and get in his face.
Rakhmonov’s willingness to take danger is each an important energy and to his detriment as he’s taken his fair proportion of harm in fights earlier than inevitably turning the tables on his opponents. He’ll should resolve early whether or not Garry has the type of energy that may knock him flat or if he’s assured drawing Garry right into a brawl. Both approach, Rakhmonov has choices.
Garry has usually crowed about his grappling capability, so if there’s any reality to these bona fides that is his probability to again that discuss up. He’ll get placed on his butt sooner or later and it received’t simply be a matter of battling for place, Rakhmonov will look to complete. He at all times seems to be to complete.
This full-on assault will put on Garry down till the Irishman is out of choices and Rakhmonov takes him out in Spherical 2.
Decide: Rakhmonov
Ciryl Gane (6) vs. Alexander Volkov (3)
I’d actually wish to lean in direction of Alexander Volkov right here, as a result of I really feel like his current run of outcomes are reflective of substantive enhancements he’s made to his sport. He’s 5-1 since dropping to Gane and whilst he inches nearer to 50 professional bouts, he continues to evolve and discover simpler methods to make use of that unbelievable dimension and attain. He’s shored up numerous the defensive holes in his sport that previously might need led to letdowns in opposition to the likes of Sergei Pavlovich, Tai Tuivasa, and Jairzinho Rozenstruik.
Of their first go round, Ciryl Gane’s velocity and athleticism had been an excessive amount of for Volkov to beat in the long term and Volkov fell brief in a five-round choice. That bodily disparity has been Volkov’s Achilles heel as his lone loss in his previous six fights is Tom Aspinall, one other plus-athlete within the heavyweight division.
And that’s why I’ve to select Gane to win this rematch as a result of I’m not assured this battle performs out too in another way from the primary. Three years later, Gane continues to be one of the crucial agile heavyweights on the planet and his motion may give anybody within the division complications, together with Volkov. The battle solely being a three-rounder this time does add intrigue to the competition as Volkov solely must concentrate on successful a few rounds to eke out a choice versus maintaining with Gane for 25 minutes, however I’m not seeing him having sufficient within the arsenal to place Gane at a drawback.
Gane by choice once more.
Decide: Gane
Bryce Mitchell vs. Kron Gracie
This battle is ridiculous for thus many causes, not the least of which is the, uh, distinctive views Bryce Mitchell and Kron Gracie select to share at any time when they’ve a microphone in entrance of them.
Right here’s how Jed Meshew put it in our UFC 310 roundtable:
Mitchell vs. Gracie is sort of probably an important battle of the fashionable period. We venerate the good males of historical past like Alexander the Nice and Julius Caesar and Marcus Aurelius as a result of they had been warrior poets, thinker kings. And the battle between Mitchell and Gracie is probably the primary time in historical past two such males will conflict contained in the octagon.
Positive.
Politics and conspiracies theories apart, this matchup is bizarre, man. Mitchell is a top-15-ish featherweight and Gracie… simply isn’t? After we final noticed Gracie, it was virtually 600 days in the past and he didn’t present a lot as he misplaced a dreadful choice to Charles Jourdain. It appeared like that may have been the tip of his MMA experiment and, frankly, not too many individuals had been clamoring for him to vary his thoughts.
However right here we’re with a matchup that’s truly type of good for Gracie if the playing cards fall excellent. Mitchell will look to grapple with him a minimum of as soon as and that one time is likely to be all that Gracie wants. As efficient as Mitchell may be from prime management, Gracie is really harmful on the bottom, and it shouldn’t shock anybody if he snags a submission of his again or simply sweeps Mitchell. However, Mitchell out-muscling Gracie and holding him down for quarter-hour wouldn’t be a shock both.
Then there’s the likelihood that these two resolve to do three rounds of cardio kickboxing, which might be superb in its personal approach.
Screw it, I’m going with a wonky upset, as a result of that’s what this matchup deserves. Gracie by submission.
Decide: Gracie
Nate Landwehr vs. Doo Ho Choi
The definition of a correct predominant card opening banger. For these about to rock (and sock), we salute you.
That is usually the half the place I say toss a coin and decide your winner based mostly on that as a result of a slugfest is all however assured, however I’m truly snug going with Doo Ho Choi right here. Nate Landwehr is fight-for-fight perhaps essentially the most thrilling man on the planet, so it’s solely potential that he attracts on the facility of the blood gods and flattens Choi. I identical to what I’ve seen from Choi since he’s come again.
“The Korean Superboy” is a person now, having grown right into a physique that fits his prodigious skills. I genuinely suppose he’s a sleeper contender at featherweight even when he’s nicely previous 30 now and his maturity, each bodily and psychological, offers him the sting on Saturday. Landwehr likes to hit and get hit and it’s the latter half that would get him into bother.
Positive, Landwehr has a knack for comebacks, but when Choi hurts him, don’t anticipate him to let Landwehr off the hook. When the large hit comes, Choi will shortly observe up for the end, one that can seemingly earn the UFC Corridor of Fame Struggle Wing member a Efficiency of the Evening award.
Decide: Choi
Preliminaries
Dominick Reyes def. Anthony Smith
Themba Gorimbo def. Vicente Luque
Movsar Evloev (4) def. Aljamain Sterling (11)
Randy Brown def. Bryan Battle
Eryk Anders def. Chris Weidman
Joshua Van def. Cody Durden
Michael Chiesa def. Max Griffin
Clay Guida def. Chase Hooper
