If you consider yourself an MMA and UFC enthusiast, you are in luck because the next big event organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship is coming in thick and fast. This upcoming weekend, all eyes in the realm of mixed martial arts and fighting sports in general will be pointed at Las Vegas, the unofficial home of the biggest fights in the world. With UFC 310 coming our way on Saturday, there are so many reasons to be excited. It did not take long to get right back to it as 309 has recently finished after some amazing bouts in multiple divisions and cards. Now, it is a new selection of 14 fights that will grace the screens of ESPN as well as thousands in attendance in the City of Sin.
Fans of the sport do not need a lot of introduction, but a guide is quite important at this time for those looking to place a few bets on these bouts. MMA is one of the best sports to wager on as it is straightforward, engaging, exciting, and above all full of suspense. Despite certain fighters being the favorites in their respective fights, all it takes is a single good punch or kick for a total knockout to take place. Therefore, it is important to get all the facts on your side as well as to examine the latest predictions and odds. What is more, why not take your attention to the Alexandre Pantoja exclusive interview with Stake where he reveals his predictions as well as talk about the sport in general?
UFC 310 Pantoja vs. Asakura Details
The online gambling and sports betting platform Stake is already famous for its exclusive interviews with major sports stars. They always go out of their way to bring their users and players the latest and freshest information on upcoming events so that they can make better bets on their services and get a higher chance of winning. This time around, they got the fighter whose bout is headlining the whole event. The official name is UFC 310: Pantoja vs. Asakura so the defending champion and favorite sat down with the sportsbook’s representatives for an insightful talk you need to know about.
As mentioned, it is once again Las Vegas as the home of the biggest fights in the world. The famous T-Mobile Arena in Paradise will host the 14 fights on Saturday, December 7, 2024. Pantoja is fighting the promotional newcomer, Rizin Bantamweight Champion Kai Asakura out of Japan. Their fight was supposed to be the co-headliner but it is now the main event as the other one, between Belal Muhammad and Shavkat Rakhmonov, was canceled. Muhammad, the current welterweight champion, was supposed to fight the undefeated contender Rakhmonov but suffered a bone infection in his foot. Nevertheless, we are still getting a great fight in the main card.
As the defending champion and an experienced UFC fighter, Alexandre “The Cannibal” Pantoja Passidomo being the favorite makes sense. He stands at 5 ft 5 in (165 cm), weighs 125 lb (57 kg), and has a reach of 68 in (173 cm). His team is American Top Team and he has a black belt in Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu. He has been active since 2007 and has so far had 33 fights. In his 28 wins, there were 8 knockouts, 10 submission wins, and 10 wins by decision. He has lost only 5 times in the meantime, all by decision. Pantoja is a much more experienced and well-known fighter and should have advantages in certain areas.
Out of Japan, Kai Asakura is a former two-time Rizin bantamweight champion and a promotional UFC newcomer, and therefore the underdog on paper. Fighting out of Tokyo, his team is Japan Top Team and he has been active since 2012. He stands at 5 ft 8 in (173 cm), weighs 134 lb (61 kg), and has a reach of 69 in (175 cm). This makes him taller and heavier and gives him a slightly longer reach. Asakura fought in 25 duels so far, winning 21 and losing 4. He won 13 by knockout, 3 by submission, and 5 by decision. Among his losses, there were 3 knockouts and 1 by decision. Apart from these MMA pro fights, he fought in 10 amateur fights, winning 8 (5 KOs, 1 submission, 2 decisions) and losing 2 (decision).
What Was Said in the Interview?
When Stake.com sat down to talk with the current UFC Flyweight Champion, there were many topics discussed. First off, he was asked about the current state of his division, especially after Dana White wanted to shut it down in 2019. Now, it is among the most popular divisions and Pantoja knows exactly why.
“The flyweight division is the best it has ever been. The fighters before me such as Demetrious Johnson were the best fighters in the world for so many years.” Indeed, it was the big names that made the flyweight what it is today. He continued, saying, “Right now, everyone can tell you 5 or 10 names in the Flyweight division. If you go back to 2019, you wouldn’t be able to. Now everyone knows Brandon Moreno, Deiveson Figueiredo, Muhamad Mokaev, Kai Kara France, and even my opponent Kai Asakura.”
Commenting on how UFC crossed over with other MMA talent and championships like with Japan’s Rizin and his opponent Kai Asakura. Of course, he agrees it is very good for the sport as he commented on being open to fighting Rodtang from One Championship or someone else from another franchise. “The Rodtang fight would be a great fight. However, we have rankings for a reason. Currently, we are already bringing another champion Kai Asakura to the UFC to fight me. After that, I think it will be better for me to fight someone within the rankings and give them a title shot too.”
It makes sense for him to want to clash with other fighters from his championship, even though he has beaten a lot of them. The champ then added, without being too modest about his success, “I know I have beaten everyone in the division already, and the guys I haven’t beaten have been beaten by the guys I beat. Right now, I focus on UFC 310 with a great opponent.” This bold statement is sure to guarantee him a few upcoming fights, don’t you think?
Touching on the legend of the division, Demetrious Johnson, Pantoja revealed that he was his dream fight. “If I can choose one fight to have it would be him. It’s a different time now. To fight me would be a great opportunity for him to test himself against the best Flyweights of the world.” However, he knows it is impossible as Johnson is enjoying his retirement, “ I understand he has a good life in retirement and the Flyweight division is much bigger now, it’s time for the new Flyweights to have that opportunity.”
Pantoja also commented on the next potential challenger for his title and whether Brandon Royval or Brandon Moreno deserves the chance. Both have won since fighting Pantoja, so he gave his insight into who is currently in the front. “This is a hard question. It was meant to be Royval who has just come off two victories. Then you have Moreno who is a big star and the former champion doing a great job with Amir Albazi.” He then joked, “Maybe you have to bring back Demetrious Johnson and maybe the next will make sense.”
Finally, the Brazillian star commented on the success of his fellow countrymen and the whole of Brazil being so good and famous in the MMA and UFC communities. Charles Oliveira has recently beaten Michael Chandler and Alex Pereira looks to be fighting Jon “Bones” Jones soon, so he had to talk about it of course. Speaking about Pereira and Jones, he said it “will be a great fight,” adding, “Dana White doesn’t want to make that fight because one of them will lose, but that’s the fight to make [right now]. Jones looked incredible against Stipe Miocic and Pereira’s last three fights have been amazing.”
When picking the potential winner, he did give Jones the advantage, saying, “I think Jon Jones has a 60-40 advantage over Pereira because of his long experience, wrestling, and very good striking too.” He then moved to Charles Oliveira and a rematch with Islam Makhchaev, saying he “had an easy job against Michael Chandler. Chandler and Islam Makhachev are two very different fighters. When Makhachev steps into the Octagon, he is ready for war and is coming to kill or die. You can see it in his eyes, if Charles can have these eyes too, he can beat whoever he wants.” High praise from one Brazillian to another.
The interview came to a close as Pantoja reflected on being a Brazillian fighter right now, “It’s great to be a part of Brazil’s greatest fighters. When you talk about Oliveira, Minotauro Nogueira, Fabricio Werdum, Anderson Silva, and Jose Aldo, you see that we are the country of fighters.” He really enjoys it, as he explains, “We know how to fight and have the mentality to absorb every war, we have the ability to absorb Muy Thai, Jou-Jitsu from Japan, and now in America to train wrestling.” With one final piece of advice, Pantoja reveals, “I say to my fellow Brazilian fighters that you need to travel and find yourself and that is how you evolve.”
UFC 310 Odds and Predictions
To Bet on UFC successfully and win money in the process, you have to know the latest odds that Stake gives the players. Between the 14 fights awaiting you, there is no shortage of action to be had. Starting with the headline event, it should be no surprise that Alexandre Pantoja is the clear favorite according to the experts. They give him the odds of 1.38 to beat Kai Asakura, who is stuck at 3.15 at the moment. The Japanese hopeful is hardly without a chance, but newcomers often come with slightly worse odds and big chips on their shoulders.
In the other fights, Vicente Luque is the underdog with 2.35 odds against Themba Gorimbo with 1.63. A very lopsided fight will take place when Kennedy Nzechukwu faces off against Lukasz Brzeski, as their odds are 1.18 and 5.20, respectively. Still, that is not the most one-sided matchup. That would be Chase Hooper with 1.10 odds against Clay Guida with 7.40, as it is literally a sparring match for Hooper based on the odds.
A more balanced bout will happen with Max Griffin and Michael Chiesa, as Griffin is at 1.79 odds at the moment while Chiesa is at 2.08. These are good odds for both which should mean a good fight. There is a slightly less even matchup between Joshua Van and Cody Durden with 1.66 and 2.28 odds, respectively. In case you are a fan of coin toss fights where anyone can win, then the Eryk Anders versus Chris Weidman bout is the right one for you. Weidman is at 1.91 odds and Anders is at 1.94. It can hardly get any closer than this.
Bryan Battle has 1.44 odds against Randy Brown with 2.85 while Movsar Evloev is the heavy favorite against Aljamain Sterling with 3.15. Between Dominick Reyes with 1.30 and Anthony Smith with 3.65, it is clear who should take the bout according to the bookies. Similarly, Nate Landwehr is the favorite against Doo Ho Choi who is at 2.19 at the moment. In another lopsided affair, Bryce Mitchel (1.14) should have a walk in the park in his fight against Kron Gracie (6.00).
In a battle of well-known names and experienced veterans, Alexander Volkov does not fair too well with 3.70 odds against Ciryl Gane who is at 1.30. Much the same can be said for Ian Garry and his odds of 3.90 once he steps into the Octagon for his duel with Shavkat Rakhmonov with 1.28. From the names alone it is easy why the odds difference is so large in this fight, but then again, UFC has surprised us many times before.