Following a Jon Jones-headlined card is never an easy task, but the card as a whole — even the preliminaries — at UFC 310 is filled with intriguing matchups and storylines to close out the year.
Whether that is enough to match the attention Jones received for a third-round technical knockout of Stipe Miocic on Nov. 16 at New York’s Madison Square Garden is another matter.
In the main event tonight, Alexandre Pantoja is to defend his flyweight championship against Kai Asakura.
Photo: AP
Shavkat Rakhmonov faces Ian Machado Garry in the co-main event.
Three other matches include former champions — heayweight Ciryl Gane, bantamweight Aljamain Sterling and middleweight Chris Weidman. Gane is to take on Alexander Volkov, Sterling is to fight as a featherweight against Movsar Evloev and Weidman is to meet Eryk Anders.
Pantoja (28-5) is making his third title defense since winning a split decision over Brandon Moreno at UFC 290 on July 8 last year. The 34-year-old followed that with a pair of one-sided unanimous-decision victories.
Those performances established him as the clear fighter in his class and now Pantoja is headlining his second pay-per-view card this year. The first was in his native Brazil for UFC 301 on May 4 and now this one in what is still proclaimed by many to be the fight capital of the world.
“That’s a gift God gave to me,” Pantoja said. “That’s an opportunity to come here and make this main event. I think 2024 was a very good year for flyweights. I think maybe it’s the best year for us.”
Asakura (21-4) is to test his skills in the UFC for the first time at age 31. He was the Rizin Fighting Federation bantamweight champion, so entering the octagon for the mixed-martial arts premier organization is quite a leap for the Japan native.
BetMGM Sportsbook had Pantoja a 2-5 favorite.
“The UFC fans have never seen anybody fight like me ever before,” Asakura said through an interpreter. “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.”
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