UFC 310 Preview & Tips
UFC 310 heads back to Las Vegas for the final numbered card of the year with top class fights stacked from top to bottom.
The Main Event sees Alexandre Pantoja look to make the third defense of his Flyweight title against Japanese superstar and UFC debutant Kai Asakura.
There is an intriguing co-main event with undefeated stars Shavkat Rakhmonov and Ian Machado Garry looking to secure the next shot at Welterweight champion Belal Muhammad.
TIP 1 - Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Asakura - Under 3.5 - 13/10
https://www.betuk.com/betting#event/1021856930
Champion Alexandre Pantoja (28-4) welcomes Japanese superstar Kai Asakura (21-4) to the UFC in what is an intriguing battle of the unknowns.
A two time Bantamweight champion at RIZIN, Asakura enters the Octagon for the first time already a huge star in the Far East.
The 31-year-old is known for his aggressive fighting style and viral knockouts, which has seen him become one of the most viewed fighters on YouTube.
Asakura vacated his RIZIN title following a stoppage win over former Bellator Bantamweight champion Juan Archuleta last December.
The Tokyo based fighter possesses power in his hands and has demonstrated some viscous ground and pound in many of his wins, however will have to adapt to a different ruleset here with knees and kicks to grounded opponents outlawed in the UFC.
Alexandre Pantoja brings vast experience inside the Octagon where he is 12-3.
The Brazilian won the title with a dogged split decision win over Brandon Moreno at UFC 293 in 2023, to make his record against the former champion 3-0.
The 34-year-old has made two defences of his title against Brandon Royval last December and Steve Erceg at UFC 303 in May.
Pantoja struggled with Erceg’s boxing last time out and although he gritted out the win with his wrestling, he will now have to face a similar challenge from Asakura, who possesses similar size and skillset to the Australian, albeit with more power.
The pair have shared opponents in Manel Kape, who Pantoja beat by decision in 2021 in what was the Angolan fighters UFC debut, while Kape and Asakura are 1-1 in RIZIN at Bantamweight.
Asakura drops to Flyweight in the UFC and must now make the extra ten pounds weight cut, while he also faces a five round contest for the first time in his career.
Pantoja has never been stopped and regularly shows incredible toughness and heart.
Six of the Brazilian's UFC wins have come inside the distance with two KO/TKO’s and four submissions, while Asakura has a 62 per cent KO/TKO rate in his career to date.
With the potential for Asakura to be an extremely powerful Flyweight, there is every chance he could be the first to finish Pantoja.
However, with the weight cut and extra rounds, the Japanese fighter may need to do it in the first half of the fight to avoid a grappling onslaught by the Brazilian should Asakura tire, which could lead to a late submission for Pantoja.
TIP 2 - Rakhmonov, Shavkat to Win & Over 1.5 Rounds - 4/6
https://www.betuk.com/betting#event/1022119051
Someone's "0" has to go as undefeated rising stars Shavkat Rakhmonov (18-0) and Ian Machado Garry (15-0) clash.
Rakhmonov was due to be in the main event in a title fight with current belt holder Belal Muhammad, who withdrew through injury.
Putting his number one contender status on the line and dropping to the co-main event shows big confidence from the Kazakhstan fighter, who could've sat on the sidelines and waited for the champion's expected return in the first quarter of 2025.
It's easy to see why Rakhmonov would have that belief, not only is he undefeated but has finished every single one of the 18 opponents he had faced.
Six of those wins have come inside the UFC Octagon with Stephen Thompson, Geoff Neal and Neil Magny his three biggest scalps, all by submission.
The 30-year-old, who has huge pedigree as a Combat Sambo wrestler, was last seen in December 2023 where he handed the veteran American Thompson the first submission loss of his career.
Ian Machado Garry is looking to earn a title opportunity and take his former teammates spot as the number one contender at 170lb.
The pair trained together during the Irishman’s stint at Kill Cliff with brief sparring footage doing the rounds on social media.
Although his move into the top ten hasn’t come with the same finish rate as Rakhmonov, Machado Garry has got the job done with decision wins over the aforementioned Neal and Magny and was last seen in June going the full three rounds in a win over Michael Page.
The 27-year-old, who is 8-0 in the UFC, brings an unrelenting confidence that has split opinions with fans but will feel he can implement the perfect gameplan to keep his undefeated record.
There is no doubt Machado Garry has the talent to work the range with his kickboxing and take this fight into the later rounds but that is easier said than done against someone of the Kazakhstan fighter's calibre.
Although the Irishman is a solid grappler, he will have to be better than we’ve ever seen before to evade Rakhmonov’s best weapons, which ultimately could well be the difference here.
TIP 3 - Gane, Ciryl by Decision - 10/13
https://www.betuk.com/betting#event/1021856931
Heavyweights Ciryl Gane (12-2-0) and Alexander Volkov (34-10-0) face off for a second time as they look to put themselves into the complicated mix at Heavyweight.
Negotiations are underway between Champion Jon Jones and interim belt holder Tom Aspinall to unify the titles, but the American has indicated he could vacate his belt and look to face Light Heavyweight champion Alex Pereira instead.
Any breakdown in negotiations could see an opportunity for the winner of this rematch to step in to fight Aspinall if the Jones fight falls through.
The first contest was over five rounds at The Apex in 2021, where the Frenchman Gane stepped up the pace in the final three rounds to win by decision.
The now 34-year-old went on to beat Derrick Lewis for the interim title before losing his unification bout to Francis Ngannou over five rounds.
On the Cameronnian’s departure from the UFC, Gane fought for the vacant title in March 2023, where Jon Jones submitted him in the first round when making his Heavyweight debut.
Since losing to Tom Aspinall in 2019, Alexander Volkov has put together an impressive four fight win streak with a move to Las Vegas has seemingly rejuvenated his career.
The 6”7 Russian was last seen outpointing Sergei Pavlovich in June, while he has also finished Tai Tuivasa, Alexandr Romanov and Jairzinho Rozenstruik.
Gane was last seen beating Serghei Spivac by TKO in Paris September 2023 and although he has spent part of the past 12 months filming a movie has still been in training for potential dates that haven’t come to fruition.
We may have seen Volkov 2.0 in the last few fights but a refreshed Gane could still be a big problem in this division.
The Frenchman is one of the most technical and athletic heavyweights on the roster and he is the pick to come out on top again here.