UFC 310 Start Time, Full Fight Card Details

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is gearing up to stage its final pay-per-view (PPV) of 2024, as UFC 310 goes down later TONIGHT (Sat., Dec. 7, 2024) inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Headlining the ESPN+-streamed event will be a men’s Flyweight title fight as division kingpin, Alexandre Pantoja, defends against former RIZIN Bantamweight champion, Kai Asakura. In UFC 310’s re-worked co-main event, Shavkat Rakhmonov will battle Ian Machado Garry in a pivotal Welterweight affair.

What’s Hot:

Pantoja already has two successful title defenses under his belt, and will go for lucky number three against a dangerous newcomer in Kai Asakura who is looking to wow UFC fans from the jump. Pantoja is currently riding a six-fight win streak, racking up impressive wins over Brandon Moreno, Brandon Royval (twice) and Steve Erceg along the way, including back-to-back “Performance of the Night”-winning submissions sprinkled in. In short, while Pantoja isn’t exactly a superstar just yet as some of the champions on the UFC roster, he has proven to be a deserving one. Of his 28 professional wins, he has eight by knockout, 10 by submission and 10 by decision, so it’s safe to say he is as well-rounded as they come. Now, he will look to lock down one of the biggest wins of his career to let the division know he is playing for keeps.

Asakura has long been one of the most talented fighters in the game, though no one has been able to see him fight stateside since the Japanese-born fighter has been competing in Japan for his entire career. He has been under contract with RIZIN for the last nine years, enjoying much success by winning the 135-pound title in 2020. He eventually went on to vacant the title in Dec. 2023, and one year later he is primed to make his highly-anticipated UFC debut at 125 pounds. And he will do so as a headliner in a major title fight, so he has the chance to make an impression right away in front of all of the UFC loyalists who many of which may not bee too familiar with his skills.

What’s Not:

Why Aljamain Sterling vs. Movsar Evloev is on the undercard while fights like Nate Landwehr vs. Choi Doo-ho and Kron Gracie vs. Bryce Mitchell are on the PPV portion of the event is beyond me…and everyone else. Sterling is a former champion and Evloev is an undefeated (18-0, 8-0 UFC) who deserves some shine. I get it, many say fighting on the “free” portion of the event will give them more eyeballs, but if you’re trying to sell the PPV, I’d like to think these two would help more than the aforementioned matchups. Nevertheless, Sterling and Evloev are fighting for the chance to get closer to a matchup against Ilia Topuria.

Original Card vs. Actual Card:

Belal Muhamamad was originally set to defend his 170-pound strap against the aforementioned Rakhmonov, but after coming down with a bone infection in his foot he was forced out, which lead to Ian Garry stepping in to face “Nomad” in a title eliminator fight. That allowed Pantoja and Asakura to take over headlining duties. Vicente Luque was set to face Nick Diaz at this event, but once again the Stockton slugger was forced out of the matchup and was replaced by Themba Gorimbo.

Injuries:

Tatiana Suarez’s comeback was once again halted after she was forced out of her fight against Virna Jandiroba due to an undisclosed medical issue. Also, Martin Buday and Rizvan Kuniev were scheduled to meet in a Heavyweight fight before Buday bowed out due with an injury and the bout was scrapped.

New Blood:

Other than the aforementioned Kai Asakura making his UFC debut, there are no other newcomers scheduled to compete at this event.

How The ‘Prelims’ Look:

Former Light Heavyweight title contender, Dominick Reyes, snapped his four-fight losing streak earlier this year by defeating Dustin Jacoby via first-round TKO, and now he is eying his first back-to-back wins in five years when he goes up against another former title contender, Anthony Smith. Both men came up short in their bids to eliminate Jon Jones from the 205-pound throne, and while it’s unlikely that these two men will ever get another shot at a UFC world title, they still are fighting for that opportunity as warriors. Like Reyes, Smith has struggled as of late, going just 2-4 over his last six fights, and is coming off a loss against Roman Dolidze.

Bryan Battle has been nothing short of impressive during his UFC run, racking up 6-1-1 record after earning his way in via The Ultimate Fighter (TUF). He is still perhaps two more big wins away from cracking the Top 15 at 170 pounds, and he will try to climb that ladder when he takes on Randy Brown, who is riding a three-fight win streak into the event. Going back a bit further, he is 7-1 in his last eight fights, so noone should be sleeping on him in the bout.

Chris Weidman and Eryk Anders were originally set to fight one another at UFC 309 last month before the fight was scrapped after Anders came down with food poisoning the night before the fight. Now, they will compete in a catchweight fight of 195 pounds. Weidman was once sitting on top of the UFC Middleweight division thanks to wins over Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida and Vitor Belfort. “All American” has taken a drastic fall over the last few years, however, losing seven of his last 10 fights. He snapped his two-fight skid by defeating Bruno Silva earlier this year, and now he is out to secure his first back-to-back win streak in nearly a decade when he battles “Ya Boi,” who is 2-3 in his last five fights and is coming off a big win over Jamie Pickett earlier this year. Anders packs major power in his punches, and Weidman’s chin isn’t exactly what it used to be.

In Flyweight action, Cody Durden, will battle Joshua Van, who is 4-1 inside the Octagon with his lone defeat coming at the hands of Charles Johnson via third-round knockout. As for Durden, he snapped his two-fight losing streak in his last outing be choking out Matt Schnell via ninja choke two months ago (see it again here).

Longtime veteran, Michael Chiesa, finally got back into the win column by defeating Tony Ferguson this past August which, let’s face it, isn’t exactly a good measuring stick for us to see where exactly “Maverick” is at this point of his career. He will have another chance to prove he still has plenty left in the tank when he battles Max Griffin who is 5-2 in his last seven UFC fights, as opposed to being 0-7 like “El Cucuy.”

Vicente Luque is barely hanging on to a spot in the Top 15, as he currently holds the No. 14 spot. His decline in the rankings is a result of going 1-3 in his last four fights after starting his UFC career with an impressive record of 14-2. He will be taking on a streaking opponent as Themba Gorimbo is currently riding a four-fight win streak after throwing up a dud in his UFC debut against A.J. Fletcher. A loss for Luque won’t get him released, but it could knock him out of the Top 15.

After nearly 20 years competing inside the Octagon, Clay Guida is still chugging along. That said, he hasn’t been too successful as of late. going just 4-6 in his last 10 outings. Still, “The Carpenter” hasn’t given much indication that he plans to walk away. He will take on Chase Hooper, who has found a groove as of late by winning his last three fights.

Who Needs A Win Badly:

Kicking off the event is a Heavyweight fight between Kennedy Nzechukwu taking on Lukasz Brzeski, who is in desperate need of a win. That’s because the Polish fighter is just 1-4 inside the Octagon and is coming off a first-round knockout loss at the hands of Mick Parkin. If Brzeski loses his fifth fight in six attempts under the UFC banner, it could be his last bout with the promotion. As for Nzechukwu, he recently got back in the win column himself by snapping his two-fight losing streak with a knockout win over Chris Barnett.

Interest Level: 6.5/10

For it being the end of the year event, it’s not the most stacked card. There was a time when the promotion always looked to end the year with a bang, and this card simply isn’t doing it. Don’t get me wrong, there are several intriguing bouts on the docket, but you would think the matchmakers would line it up with bigger names. Granted, injures and withdrawals did hurt this event a bit.

In the co-main event, Shavkat Rakhmonov (18-0) will battle Ian Machado Garry (15-0) in bout that “Nomad” didn’t have to take. That’s because he could have waited for Belal Muhammad to get healthy in order to preserve his championship fight. But that just goes to show you the confidence Rakhamonov has in himself by risking it all against a dangerous foe like Garry. This battle of undefeated warriors is a great matchup all around because both men have shown they are ready to fight for the strap. The odds favor Rakhmonov given the dominate nature of his wins, while Garry’s strugglesd a bit against Geoff Neal and Michael Page. Still, Garry is more than up to the task and is ready to take Rakhmonov’s title shot against Belal, and he’s bringing a secret weapon with him to assist.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

In the Heavyweight division, Alexander Volkov (No. 3) will attempt to win his fifth straight win in order to firmly assert himself in the championship picture when he battles former title contender, Ciryl Gane (No. 2). Division king, Jon Jones recently revealed that he was in talks with UFC to return in mid-2025 — presumably against Tom Aspinall — which could be the final fight of his career. Gane had the opportunity to face “Bones,” ultimately losing his chance at reclaiming the Heavyweight title because “he wasn’t there.” While he likely won’t get another chance to face Jones, a title fight is still in his sights. As always, this fight could end early given their heavy hands, so it’s best to take your bathroom break before this fight begins.

Kron Gracie is on a two-fight losing streak, yet the matchmakers felt he was deserving of a spot on the main card against Bryce Mitchell. Mind-boggling to say the least. Gracie has not been impressive inside the Octagon, racking up a record of 1-2, while Mitchell is 1-2 in his last three fights, as well. Kicking off the main card is another Featherweight bout as Nate Landwehr battles Choi Doo-ho. Landwehr is 4-1 in his last five fights, while Doo-ho is 1-1-3.

Enjoy the fights!

FULL UFC 310 Fight Card:

UFC 310 PPV Main Card on ESPN+:

125 lbs.: UFC Flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Asakura
170 lbs.: Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Ian Garry
265 lbs.: Ciryl Gane vs. Alexander Volkov
145 lbs.: Bryce Mitchell vs. Kron Gracie
145 lbs.: Nate Landwehr vs. Doo Ho Choi

UFC 310 ‘Prelims’ Card on ESPN2/ESPN+ (8 p.m. ET):

205 lbs.: Anthony Smith vs. Dominick Reyes
170 lbs.: Vicente Luque vs. Themba Gorimbo (not Nick Diaz)
145 lbs.: Movsar Evloev vs. Aljamain Sterling
170 lbs.: Randy Brown vs. Bryan Battle

UFC 310 Early ‘Prelims’ Card on ESPN+ (6 p.m. ET):

195 lbs.: Chris Weidman vs. Eryk Anders
125 lbs.: Cody Durden vs. Joshua Van
170 lbs.: Michael Chiesa vs. Max Griffin
?155 lbs.: Chase Hooper vs. Clay Guida
265 lbs.: Lukasz Brzeski vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu

*Fight card, bout order and number of fights remain subject to change.*

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Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 310 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET (simulcast on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. ET), before the pay-per-view (PPV) main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 310: “Pantoja vs. Asakura” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.