Let The Festivities Begin
It’s been an exciting year at the highest level of mixed martial arts and the UFC are aiming to round out their 2024 pay-per-view schedule with an exceptional fight card this weekend. UFC 310 goes down in Las Vegas on Saturday night, the final PPV and penultimate event overall on the promotion’s calendar and the line-up for this one contains plenty of contests that should whet the fans’ appetites.
Having already previewed the preliminary card earlier this week, let’s take a look at the five fights that make up the main card at UFC 310.
Alexandre Pantoja (28-5) vs. Kai Asakura (21-4) UFC Flyweight Championship
Following in the footsteps of Brock Lesnar and Joe Soto, Japan’s Kai Asakura will make his promotional debut in a five-round world title fight against the reigning 125lb champion Alexandre Pantoja. Former Rizin bantamweight champion Asakura has long been regarded amongst hardcore MMA fans as one of the most exciting fighters plying their trade outside of the UFC and he gets the opportunity to compete for championship gold right off the bat when he takes on “The Cannibal” on Saturday night.
Asakura brings speed, skill and devastating power to the UFC flyweight division and has rattled off victories against numerous top-level opponents over the years such as Manel Kape, Kyogi Horiguchi and Juan Archuleta. Questions surrounding his ability to compete at a lower weight class, adapt to fighting inside the Octagon (as opposed to a ring) and curb his instincts to use soccer kicks if/when his opponent hits the canvas should be answered this weekend.
Pantoja will be competing in his fourth consecutive title bout at 125lbs and has proven time and time again that he has the ability to outlast high-level opposition over twenty-five minutes. His pressure, his fight IQ and his will to win have all proven too much for Brandon Moreno, Brandon Royval and Steve Erceg to handle over the past sixteen months and Asakura faces a baptism of fire when he squares off against the Brazilian in Saturday’s main event.
Shavkat Rakhmonov (18-0) vs. Ian Machado Garry (15-0) Welterweight
A clash of the unbeaten takes place in a five-round co-main event that could have massive implications on the title picture at 170lbs. Shavkat Rakhmonov was originally slated to face welterweight champion Belal Muhammad in the main event, but when “Remember the Name” fell out of the match-up due to illness, the Khazak fighter didn’t hesitate to accept a fight against fellow contender Ian Machado Garry.
Garry had been set to face Joaquin Buckley when the UFC lands in Tampa Bay next week, but jumped at the opportunity to test himself against the so-called ‘Boogeyman’ of the division. The pair have seemingly been on somewhat of a collision course for some time, with Garry repeatedly calling for a fight against “Nomad” over the past year. Footage emerged recently of the pair sparring during their time training together at Kill Cliff FC and Rakhmonov was sure to let the media know this week that he submitted his Irish counterpart once the cameras stopped rolling.
Rakhmonov has finsihed every single opponent he has faced throughout his professional career to date and comes into this fight as the bookmakers’ favorite, but Garry has proven time and time again that he is a very cerebral fighter and excels at figuring out how to get his hand raised, regardless of how the fight may be playing out.
Cyril Gane (12-2) vs. Alexander Volkov (38-10) Heavyweight
Cyril Gane and Alexander Volkov meet on Saturday in a rematch of their 2021 encounter. Gane emerged victorious on that occasion before working his way toward competing for the vacant UFC heavyweight title against Jon Jones early in 2023. Having been submitted in the opening round by “Bones” the Frenchman has only competed once since, in September 2023 when he beat Serghei Spivac after an unconvincing performance, and there will surely be questions surrounding the Frenchman coming into UFC 310.
Volkov has won five of his six fights since that first meeting with Gane, his only defeat coming at the hands of current interim champion Tom Aspinall. “Drago” has rattled off four consecutive victories against Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Tai Tuivasa, Alexandr Romanov and Sergei Pavlovich and will be eager to show the improvements he has made when he faces “Bon Gamin” for the second time this weekend.
Bryce Mitchell (16-2) vs. Kron Gracie (5-2) Featherweight
The placement of this fight on the Saturday’s main card has been the topic of much discussion. Bryce Mitchell is ranked #13 in the UFC’s featherweight division while his opponent Kron Gracie’s sole victory inside the Octagon came gainst Alex Caceres back in 2019. With top-5 ranked Movsar Evloev facing former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling on the prelims, it certainly seems as if sporting meritocracy may have been pushed to one side here.
It may be the case that the UFC expect Mitchell to play right into his opponent’s hands and give the Brazilian jiu jitsu phenom the opportunity to pull off a highlight-reel submission finish. Mitchell isn’t known for his striking prowess (he has yet to win a UFC bout by KO/TKO), relying instead on takedowns and top pressure to win fights. Against the son of the great Rickson Gracie, “Thug Nasty” might be better advised to come up with some kind of a ‘plan B’.
Nate Landwehr (18-5) vs. Doo Ho Choi (15-4-1) Featherweight
Expect fireworks. Since Nate Landwehr debuted inside the Octagon back in 2020 he has traded wins and losses but rarely has he seen the judge’s scorecards. “The Train” brings an exciting ‘do or die’ approach into every fight and when he steps in to face Doo Ho Choi on Saturday night, chaos will likely ensue. “The Korean Superboy” is already in the UFC’s Hall of Fame thanks to his classic fight with Cub Swanson back in 2016 and showed in his last outing against Bill Algeo earlier this year that he still approaches his fights in the same kamikaze-type fashion.
