UFC 310 Preview
The UFC is invading the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, December 7 for UFC 310. The main event will be for the UFC flyweight title as champion Alexandre Pantoja will defend his belt against UFC newcomer Kai Asakura.
Pantoja won the belt with a split decision victory over Brandon Moreno at UFC 290 in 2023 and has defended the belt twice. He most recently defeated Steve Erceg at UFC 301 in May with a unanimous decision victory giving him his sixth straight win.
The champion has been aware of Asakura for many years now but feels he knows all he needs to know about his challenger leading up to this fight. “I’ve started to study him more, and I see he fought Manel Kape,” Pantoja said. “He won one time and lost one time. He fought Ulka Sasaki. I fought with the same guy before. Good coincidence, and I’m so happy for that fight. It makes that like a crossover. It’s opened doors for a lot of good fighters all across the world. You have so many good promotions, but of course, everyone wants the belt in the UFC. I think it’s going to be a good test not just for me but for everyone to see a UFC champ vs. another guy who is a former champion for another promotion.”
Pantoja was curious as to who he would defend against next having already fought and defeated top challengers Brandon Moreno and Brandon Royval twice. “After my fight with Erceg, I looked at the rankings and tried to figure out who is going to be my next opponent,” Pantoja said. “Kai Asakura, I think that’s a very good movement. That’s the power of the UFC, bringing a champion from another promotion. The guy just left his belt to fight for the UFC, try to fight for the belt. That’s what I think if you want to be the best fighter in the world, that’s what he thinks, you need to win the UFC belt.
“I respect all the promotions, but everybody knows about how big is UFC and if you want to show all the world that you are the best, you need the UFC belt. When they bring the name Asakura, for me, I think it’s a perfect challenge. I’m super excited for that fight. It’s a very exciting fight. It’s someone I never figured out I had the chance to fight. That’s what I want. I want to fight with the best fighters in the world. The UFC just gave me that opportunity.”
The pundits have labeled Asakura as the biggest threat to dethroning Pantoja as a champion, the Brazilian fighter responded confidently. “Everybody can see the same thing I watch,” Pantoja said. “He’s a very good striker. He’s got nasty knees and comes forward. He’s like an old time in PRIDE. That fight style is what he has. But in the UFC is different. There are so many good grapplers here. I proved maybe I’m the best one in my division, maybe in the top 10 of UFC grapplers, you know? I think I can take advantage about that. Of course, I’m fighting MMA. I can use my striking. But I’ve also got my grappling, too.
“I win much more fights when I start to fight MMA, not just go there and make it a street fighter, you know. I learned how to win the fights. I learned a lot with my coach and that’s what I’m going to do on Saturday, I’m going to win the fight.”
Asakura will be making his UFC debut and is the former two-time Rizin bantamweight champion. The Japanese fighter is confident he will quickly make an impact in the UFC. “The UFC fans have never seen anybody like me fight ever before,” Asakura said. “I always aim to go for a KO finish. I’m an exciting fighter and I’m here to bring excitement back to the flyweight division.”
The challenger has not fought at flyweight since 2017 but feels it is the necessary move for his UFC debut. “When I signed my contract with the UFC, I told them I’m willing to fight either at flyweight or bantamweight and then as discussions progressed, I said to them, ‘Look, I think I can bring some excitement into this division so it would be better for me to fight at flyweight for you,’” Asakura said, “So that’s why I’m fighting at flyweight.”
Does Asakura have plans beyond becoming a UFC champion? “At present, I haven’t made an imprint yet on the UFC because I haven’t had a fight,” Asakura said. “So it’s difficult for us to ask them to put forward an event. Of course, I explained to them we’d like the UFC to go back to Tokyo, but when I win this championship, things will change and we’re hoping to have the UFC come back to Japan to showcase and highlight what great MMA talent exists in Japan.”
“The last time the UFC came to Japan was [seven] years ago,” Asakura continued. “There was a lull in the MMA scene at that time, there wasn’t a lot of local activity going on. It took a few years for RIZIN to make an imprint and recover and then I was, of course, at the leading forefront of RIZIN and one of the main stars. Eventually, when the UFC comes back to Japan, hopefully they’ll come on my back and I’ll show them what it looks like to have a sold-out event in Japan.”
The co-main event of the evening will be a title eliminator fight in the welterweight division between #3 Shavkat Rakhmonov and #7 Ian Garry. Rakhmonov was originally scheduled to fight champion Belal Muhammad for the title, but Muhammad withdrew from the fight due to injury.
Rakhmonov is 18-0 and most recently defeated former two-time title challenger Stephen Thompson by submission at UFC 296 last December. How does he feel about facing Garry?
“Even though it’s not a championship fight, it’s a big fight for me,” said Rakhmonov. “I’m really motivated to get that win against undefeated fighter Ian Garry.”
This fight will be a five round fight and the Uzbeki fighter commented on potentially fighting in championship rounds.
“I feel great in the later rounds too,” says Rakhmonov. “I cannot say this is too difficult. This is not an easy sport, but it’s part of it. You have to get through hard moments and still get the win.”
The two have previously trained together and Rakhmonov commented on that experience. “We didn’t really meet outside of training. We just met during sessions,” said Rakhmonov,. “I knew at the time that he’s also on a path to be in the top of the division as a guy I’m gonna meet one day. I can’t say he’s my friend. It’s just sport interest, to find out who’s the better fighter.”
Does he have a prediction? “I believe the fight will show whose grappling is better,” Rakhmonov says, “and there’s no meaning to say much now.”
Garry is 15-0 and most recently defeated Michael Page by unanimous decision at UFC 303 in June. The Irish fighter was more than willing to step in and give Rhakmonov an opponent on Saturday.
“The entire world knows I’m a gamer,” Machado Garry said. “They have given me nothing, but respect because I didn’t have to take this fight. I had a fight lined up next week. I’ve seen this opportunity as the baddest man of the division, and I was like, ‘You know what? Let me do that.’ The risk vs. reward is better than anything. … In this case, I get a shot at the title, I set myself as the No. 1 contender, and I remain undefeated, I take out who many consider the boogie man, I do it in beautiful fashion, and then I wipe the floor with Belal next year. It’s perfect.”
Rhakmonov has made comments that he tapped Garry when they trained together. Garry confirmed. “If he wants to latch onto a moment of success in training from two years ago and think I’m the same fighter I was then, then he would be sadly mistaken,” Machado Garry told reporters. “I don’t believe that he’s going to be latching to anything like that.
“I believe that he’s being honest, and he’s saying this happened – which it did. I’m not turning around and saying it didn’t, but if I sit here and tell you the names I’ve beaten in sparring, it’s just not relevant, and it would be a very different conversation. So, he has to do it on Saturday night. I’m going to go out there and show him I’m far better than he can imagine.”
How does Garry plan on approaching this fight as an underdog? “By just having fun, he said. I am just different, the more I smile and the more I enjoy myself, the worse of a night it’s going to be for Shavkat Rakhmonov.”
The rest of the main card:
Heavyweight - #2 Ciryl Gane vs. #3 Alexander Volkov
Featherweight - #13 Bryce Mitchell vs. Kron Gracie
Featherweight - Nate Landwehr vs. Choi Doo-ho
ESPN + Prelims:
ight Heavyweight - #12 Dominick Reyes vs. #13 Anthony Smith
Welterweight - #14 Vicente Luque vs. Themba Gorimbo
Featherweight - #5 Movsar Evloev vs. #9 Aljamain Sterling
Welterweight - Randy Brown vs. Bryan Battle
ESPN+/ UFC Fight Pass Early Prelims:
Catchweight - (195 lb)- Chris Weidman vs. Eryk Anders
Flyweight - Cody Durden vs. Joshua Van
Welterweight - Michael Chiesa vs. Max Griffin
Lightweight - Clay Guida vs. Chase Hooper
Heavyweight - Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Łukasz Brzeski
