Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) recently announced its year-end pay-per-view (PPV) bonanza, UFC 310, headlined by the welterweight title fight pitting reigning 170-pound champion, Belal Muhammad, against No. 3-ranked division contender Shavkat Rakhmonov. In the championship co-main event, flyweight “Cannibal” Alexandre Pantoja returns to put his 125-pound strap on the line opposite Japanese phenom (and UFC newcomer) Kai Asakura.
Didn’t see that one coming.
In light of the UFC 310 fight card, scheduled for Sat., Dec. 7, 2024 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, the bookies at BetOnline.ag opened Muhammad as the +175 underdog against -205 for Rakhmonov, who is likely the favorite for his perfect record of 18-0, coupled with the fact that he’s finished all 18 opponents. Whether or not the challenger can match the champion’s pace and suffocating offensive attack remains to be seen, but it looks like the money is riding on “Nomad” to capture the crown.
As for Pantoja, he’s the -225 favorite against +190 for Asakura.
170 lbs.: Welterweight Champion Belal Muhammad (+175) vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov (-205)
125 lbs.: Flyweight Champion Alexandre Pantoja (-225) vs. Kai Asakura (+190)
265 lbs.: Ciryl Gane (-235) vs. Alexander Volkov (+200)
145 lbs.: : Aljamain Sterling (+185) vs. Movsar Evloev (-220)
170 lbs.: : Nick Diaz (+425) vs. Vicente Luque (-600)
You can expect these numbers to fluctuate (in both directions) as we get closer to fight night.
It will be interesting to see what matchmakers do with the rest of the welterweight division. Fast rising prospects Jack Della Maddalena and Ian Garry are both in the hunt for a shot at the 170-pound title and Joaquin Buckley is coming in hot with a knockout victory over Stephen Thompson at UFC 307 earlier this month in Salt Lake City.
And let’s not forget about ex-welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
The complete UFC 310 fight card is likely to drop in the next few weeks but until then, we can turn our attention to the upcoming UFC 308 PPV, headlined by Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway with “El Matador” making the first defense of his 145-pound title. Not long after that epic showdown, UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones (finally) returns to face former division kingpin, Stipe Miocic, atop the UFC 309 lineup at Madison Square Garden next month in New York City.
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