When Kai Asakura challenges Alexandre Pantoja for the flyweight title to wrap up UFC 310, it’ll be the first time in a decade that a promotional debutant starts their career with an immediate shot at the belt.
Justifiably, the pair deserve plenty of attention on Saturday for that fact. However, MMA fans shouldn’t limit their viewing scope to just the headliner as the 14-fight event from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas should be chock-full of action throughout.
Along with a stellar co-main featuring undefeated welterweight contenders Shavkat Rakhmonov (No. 3) and Ian Machado Garry (No. 7) — which surely holds future title-fight implications — the card offers plenty of division-shifting and fighter-focused narratives.
Here are some of the key questions and top storylines for UFC 310 aside from the two five-round bouts to keep your eyes on Saturday night.
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Watch UFC 310 on Sportsnet+
Flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja defends his title against Kai Asakura, plus undefeated welterweights Shavkat Rakhmonov and Ian Machado Garry meet in a five-round co-main event. Watch UFC 310 on Saturday with prelim coverage beginning 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT, and the pay-per-view main card starting at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT.
Can Gane, Volkov help keep the heavyweight division afloat?
It’s been over three years since Ciryl Gane and Alexander Volkov last faced off in the cage, and the rematch not only raises the stakes because it’s a main card bout this time, as opposed to a Fight Night headliner, but also since it potentially offers the heavyweight division a variety of much-needed options moving forward.
After Jon Jones successfully defended the heavyweight title for the first time by sending former belt-holder Stipe Miocic into retirement via TKO at UFC 309, he made his future interests loud and clear. “Bones” wants a mega-fight against Alex Pereira, should the light heavyweight champ be willing to move up.
While tantalizing, the scenario largely remains a pipedream. Firstly because president Dana White doesn’t seem keen on that idea, at least not yet. Secondly, White’s preferred matchup, before considering a Pereira fight, is for Jones to go against interim champion Tom Aspinall — but the 37-year-old appears to have little to no interest in a unification bout.
Unless the boss meets Jones’ monetary demands, it seems like the Englishman may have to just keep waiting for his shot at the undisputed title.
“If I give (Aspinall) the opportunity to fight me, I want to be so compensated,” Jones said following his record 16th title win. “I want that (expletive) you money … I don’t need him at all.”
And if having to once again muddle through an undefined amount of time before seeing Jones get back in the cage isn’t concerning enough, there’s also the fact it’s slim pickings for genuine contenders in the heavyweight ranks beyond the two champs.
While Jones leapfrogged to the front of the line for his title shot, Aspinall, Gane and Volkov all climbed up the leaderboard, dispatching those below. Meaning that until new challengers emerge, there aren’t many options left to truly threaten the top of the order. Exactly why an impressive performance from either Gane (No. 2-ranked heavyweight contender) or Volkov (No. 3) could go a long way in creating more intrigue in a division that appears at risk of stalling yet again.
Gane makes his return at UFC 310 for the first time since September 2023 when he earned a second-round finish over No. 7-ranked Serghei Spivac. A notable change of pace for the Frenchman after fighting at least twice in four of the last five years.
However, the time away and a 2-2 record since winning the heavyweight belt against Derrick Lewis at UFC 265 have stymied Gane’s previously built momentum. Both of his losses came in title bouts, one to Francis Ngannou and the other to Jones in the current champ’s divisional debut.
Still, “Bon Gamin” remains one of the most lethal strikers in the weight class, and should he improve upon his 9-2 UFC record on Saturday, could quickly put himself back in the mix to take on either of the reigning titleholders.
Meanwhile, Volkov is looking to do just the same. Although Gane comfortably won the first matchup between the two, “Drago” has found his form as of late and could start a redemption tour at UFC 310.
The 36-year-old has won his last four contests, three by early stoppage, most recently seeing his hand raised against fellow Russian Sergei Pavlovich in June. If he can make up for his previous loss to Gane, he could make a case to try and do the same against Aspinall, who he lost to in March 2022.
“I don’t see anyone who can contend (for a title shot) other than me or Ciryl Gane,” Volkov said at UFC 310 media day on Wednesday. “It looks like a good fight for both of us to show who will be the next contender for the belt.”
Looking to get back on track
Two more fighters with plenty to gain (and lose) are Bryce Mitchell and Dominick Reyes.
Between 2018 and early 2022, Mitchell was on a tear, winning six consecutive fights and earning two performance of the night bonuses. All that came to a screeching halt, however, when future featherweight champion Ilia Topuria got him to tap at UFC 282. Including that loss, the 30-year-old has come up short in two of his last three fights, most recently getting knocked out by Josh Emmett at UFC 286.
“I’m very excited, I got all this energy pent up,” Mitchell said Wednesday at UFC media day when asked about stepping back into the Octagon a year after that defeat. “I was bummed out for a little while (after losing to Emmett) … but I’m pretty much completely past it. I know I’m a great fighter and I’m here to prove it.”
While “Thug Nasty” is still clinging on to a spot on the 145-pound leaderboard at No. 13, he risks falling out should he lose to unranked Kron Gracie. Calling that result a disappointment would be an understatement for Mitchell considering he enters the matchup a massive betting favourite.
Meanwhile, Reyes takes on fellow former light heavyweight title challenger Anthony Smith in the final prelim fight on Saturday. The 34-year-old may be entering the contest on the heels of a win in June, but he’s still a ways away from the contender who gave Jones a run for his money in their championship bout four years ago.
As impressive as his TKO victory over Dustin Jacoby was, clearly lifting a weight off Reyes’ shoulders, it was underscored by the fact it put and end to his extended skid of four consecutive losses since 2020.
Winning at UFC 310 would go a long way in showing the rest of the weight class that “The Devastator” is truly back to his old habits. Reyes hasn’t won back-to-back contests in nearly half a decade, not since starting his career a flawless 6-0 under the banner.
Is Bryan Battle destined for the welterweight leaderboard?
“The Butcher” has methodically made his way to the fringes of the 170-pound rankings and appears as ready as anyone to finally break through.
Battle is 6-1 in the UFC with one no-contest, having stopped five of those six fights early while remaining unbeaten through his last four. In his most recent victory against Kevin Jousset in September, the 30-year-old was arguably the sharpest he’d ever been as he dispatched the Frenchman in two rounds while earning a performance of the night bonus.
And the American isn’t just starting to look the part of a ranked contender he’s also begun acting like it.
Following his win over Jousset in his hometown, Battle egged on the jeering Parisian crowd while scoffing at the notion he could “lose in a fist fight to a French dude.” And on Wednesday when addressing media ahead of UFC 310, Battle was displaying even more of that confidence.
“I really have the chance to take my career to the next level,” the American said ahead of his toughest challenge yet in Randy Brown. “He brings a lot to the table … with all that being said, he’s just another obstacle I have to get by, another mountain to climb. One way or another I’m getting out of there. period.”
Let’s try this again
After initially being scheduled for UFC 309 last month, and subsequently getting pulled at the 11th hour, the fight between Chris Weidman and Eryk Anders is finally taking place barring any more shenanigans.
The original bout was cancelled on fight day after Anders was forced to withdraw due to food poisoning. Luckily, the two quickly agreed to reschedule for UFC 310, at a catchweight of 195 pounds.
Weidman, 40, is a former middleweight champion and MMA veteran of nearly 20 years. “The All-American” appears past his glory days, however, losing seven of his past 10 fights since relinquishing the belt to Luke Rockhold in 2015. To Weidman’s credit, he enters Saturday having snapped a three-fight skid after picking up a technical decision win over Bruno Silva in March — his first victory since 2020.
Meanwhile, Anders enters the fight looking to pick up some momentum of his own. His last bout in the UFC was a decision win over Jamie Pickett in March but “Ya Boi” hasn’t won back-to-back contests under the banner since 2019.
Late additions
Fighters stepping up on short notice is nothing new for the UFC, but it remains an ingredient that can often spice up a card. Sometimes it throws off the psyche of a fighter who’d been preparing for a different opponent for months, while giving the new participant licence to let loose as they have little to lose in defeat given the circumstances.
There are two fights at UFC 310 that saw late changes, starting with the first bout of the night. Kennedy Nzechukwu replaces Tallison Teixeira to take on Lukasz Brzeski in a heavyweight matchup, doing so on short notice after earning a stoppage win over Chris Barnett at UFC 308 in his divisional debut.
Meanwhile, Themba Gorimbo steps in for Nick Diaz to take on Vicente Luque in a 170-pound prelim bout.
Diaz was pulled from the contest for an undisclosed reason, opening the door for Gorimbo to step up less than two months after his unanimous decision victory over Niko Price. “The Answer” has won four consecutive fights and has plenty to gain (and little to lose) in his matchup against Luque, a fixture of the welterweight division.
“The Silent Assassin,” on the other hand, sorely needs a win as he risks dropping out of the top 15 with another loss. He’s currently ranked 14th on the 170-pound leaderboard after falling in three of his last four fights, most recently getting stopped by Joaquin Buckley in March.
Losing to an unranked opponent who stepped in on short notice would almost surely send Luque spiralling down the rankings even further than he already has.
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