Pantoja vs Asakura Main Event & Undercard Tips
UFC 310 touches down in Las Vegas for the final numbered card of 2024 this weekend.
Debutant Kai Asakura goes straight into title action in the main event against Flyweight king Alexandre Pantoja.
The card is stacked with intriguing match-ups that will impact the top end of the several divisions next year and none more so than the co-main event with undefeated welterweights Shavkat Rakhmonov and Ian Machado Garry clashing in a title eliminator.
Tip 1 - Shavkat Rakhmonov to win by Submission - 19/10
The co-main event between Shavkat Rakhmonov (18-0-0) and Ian Machado Garry (15-0-0) has been the most talked about fight on the card.
Both fighters come into this with rare undefeated professional records with the winner set to face Belal Muhammad for the Welterweight title in 2025.
Rakmonov was due to fight for the belt on this card until the champion’s withdrawal through injury but wanted to stay active and fight rather than sitting out.
The Kazakhstani fighter has finished every one of his opponents in the professional ranks, including in his six fight run in the UFC.
The 30-year-old's most impressive win was his last outing in December 2023 where he handed veteran Stephen Thompson the first submission loss of his career.
Rakhmonov has five submission victories inside the Octagon, also taking the scalps of shared opponents Geoff Neal and Neil Magny.
Machado Garry went to decision with both men and while the Neal fight was close, the Irishman completely dominated Magny with a wide scorecard.
The 27-year-old will take heart from his opponent's match-up with Neal, who gave Rakhmonov some issues on the feet and stuffed all four of his takedown attempts.
However, the combat sambo specialist still found himself getting a standing rear naked choke finish, showing his ruthlessness when opportunity knocks.
That could be the way this one goes, Machado Garry will no doubt bring a well thought out gameplan to evade the Kazak’s best weapons, however over 25 minutes that is a tall order and Rakhmonov could exploit even the smallest of openings that appear.
Tip 2 - To go the distance - No - Anthony Smith vs. Dominick Reyes - 2/5
This card is filled with fun match-ups and a finish could well be on the cards between Dominick Reyes (13-4-0) and Anthony Smith (37-20-0).
Both men haven’t been at their best in recent times with Reyes having a tough time since losing a controversial decision to Jon Jones in 2019.
Many thought he beat the consensus “G.O.A.T” that night but after coming out on the wrong side of the scorecards the American went on to lose decisively when finished by Jan Błachowicz, Jiří Procházka and Ryan Spann in his next three fights.
Hindered by a series of injuries and illnesses, the 34-year-old managed to bounce back this year scoring a first round TKO of Dustin Jacoby in June.
Meanwhile, Anthony Smith comes into this 13-10 in the UFC and 2-4 in his last six fights.
Interestingly, the American is another former Light Heavyweight title challenger who could also have beaten Jon Jones.
An illegal knee landed by Jones in their 2019 title fight could have seen him disqualified but Smith opted not to take the out and went on to lose via a wide decision.
Wins over Vitor Petrino in May and Ryan Spann in August 2023 have been small rays of light but a loss to Roman Dolidze in June was another sign of a continued downward spiral, with the middleweight stepping up on a matter of days notice to secure a comfortable decision victory.
Smith also comes into this having suffered personal tragedy with his longtime jiu-jitsu coach Scott Morton passing away suddenly just a few weeks ago.
Four of Smith’s UFC defeats have come by knockout and there is no doubt Reyes has the power to make it five, however with concerns still over Reyes’ chin this one still feels like it could go either way.
Tip 3 - To go the distance - No - Nate Landwhere vs. Doo Ho Choi - 12/25
With former champions like Chris Weidman and Aljamain Sterling on the prelims there has been plenty of discussion about placements on the UFC 310 running order but few could argue with Nate Landwhere (18-5-0) and Doo Ho Choi (15-5-1) opening up the main card.
Both men bring excitement on the feet in what could be a crazy fight while it lasts.
Landwhere’s aggressive style makes him a fun watch and somewhat of a bonus machine, taking home an extra $50k in four of his last five outings.
Only his defeat on the scorecards to Dan Ige in June 2023 saw him leave without a cheque in that run, a loss which derailed some of the momentum the man nicknamed “The Train” had built with wins over Austin Lingo, David Onama and Ľudovít Klein.
Landwhere bounced back from the Ige defeat last time out in March scoring a TKO win towards the end of a wild first round against Jamal Emmers.
Doo Ho Choi made his UFC return in 2024 after three years away from the Octagon with a majority draw with Kyle Nelson in February.
The 33-year-old was last seen in July getting back in the win column with a second round TKO of Billy Algeo.
Ho Choi is 4-3-1 in the UFC with all of his wins coming via a KO/TKO stoppage, with two of his defeats ending the same way.
These two will bring chaos and it would be a shock if this one lasts the full fifteen minutes.
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Odds correct at time of publication but subject to fluctuation