Tag: ufc 310

Brandon Royval Explains How Pantoja Title Fight Announcement Aided Him vs. Taira

Brandon Royval came into his recent fight against Tatsuro Taira in a bit of a difficult position regarding the flyweight title picture. The former title challenger has already beaten many of the top contenders but hadn’t been able to defeat the current champion, Alexandre Pantoja. This led to some confusion regarding the stakes of his […]

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Brandon Royval came into his recent fight against Tatsuro Taira in a bit of a difficult position regarding the flyweight title picture. The former title challenger has already beaten many of the top contenders but hadn’t been able to defeat the current champion, Alexandre Pantoja.

This led to some confusion regarding the stakes of his main event clash with Taira. Whilst a win for the rising Japanese contender could have earned him a title shot, that wasn’t necessarily the same case for Royval.

The idea of either man being next to challenge Pantoja was dispelled on the day of the fight when it was announced that recent signing Kai Asakura will face the champion on his UFC debut in December.

Royval has already said that the former RIZIN fighter getting the title shot straight off the bat doesn’t bother him because a reshuffle of the division suits him well. He also told Ariel Helwani in a recent interview that this announcement didn’t negatively impact him when it happened on the day he was fighting.

“Raw Dawg” said that he already knew this fight would be next so it actually helped give him something to aim for going into what ended up being a great fight against Taira that he won via split decision.

The next title fight coming together gave him a clearer sense of direction so that he could focus on securing the win and moving on to face the winner of Pantoja and Asakura.

“I knew about that a long time ago. It just gave me a way to aim, you know what I’m saying, and that’s what I wanted. I wanted a direction to go because I’m like, ‘F***, I’m about call out three, four different people, but now that it’s, okay, there’s a title shot. Okay, I got the winner’, and it’s like, I think whoever the winner is, there are certain advantages either way. It’s just like I could go fight in Brazil or I could go fight in Japan and I think if Asakura wins, a fight in Japan would be almost a mandatory I think.”

Continue Reading Brandon Royval Explains How Pantoja Title Fight Announcement Aided Him vs. Taira at MMA News.

Belal Muhammad Is Not Afraid of Undefeated Finisher Shavkat Rakhmonov: ‘It Really Doesn’t Scare Us’

Belal Muhammad Is Not Afraid of Undefeated Finisher Shavkat Rakhmonov: 'It Really Doesn't Scare Us'Belal Muhammad is not afraid of Shavkat Rakhmonov. At least, that’s what his coach says. After bringing the UFC…

Belal Muhammad Is Not Afraid of Undefeated Finisher Shavkat Rakhmonov: 'It Really Doesn't Scare Us'

Belal Muhammad is not afraid of Shavkat Rakhmonov. At least, that’s what his coach says.

After bringing the UFC welterweight title home to Chicago following a dominant decision victory over Leon Edwards in Manchester, ‘Remember The Name’ is set to put his gold up for grabs against one of the most dangerous fighters in the division at UFC 310 on Saturday, December 7.

Belal Muhammad

Rakhmonov goes into his first title opportunity with an impressive 18-0 record. Perhaps more impressive is the fact that ‘Nomad’ has finished every man that’s been put in front of him, including six-straight wins under the UFC banner.

Belal Muhammad’s coach is excited to crack rakhmonov’s code

Rakhmonov’s reputation undoubtedly precedes him, but Muhammad’s coach, Mike Valle, says that neither he nor the champ is afraid of stepping inside the Octagon with the fast-rising fan favorite.

“It’s a great challenge,” Valle told MMA Junkie. “It’s a great code to crack. I can’t wait for it. There’s all this hype behind him and he’s a great guy. He’s a great fighter, too. Belal is unreal, too. He’s the best in the world at fighting.

“And he’s the best in the world at going back, going sideways, putting pressure, not going to the ground. So it doesn’t matter where the fight may take place. He’s willing to go forward, go back, go to the side, fight on top, fight behind. It really doesn’t scare us. Whatever it is, let’s go” (h/t BJPenn.com).

In his last three outings, Rakhmonov has earned wins against welterweight staples Neil Magny, Geoff Neal, and Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson.

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Muhammad rides into ‘Sin City’ sitting on a 10-fight win streak that dates back to a win against Curtis Millender in April 2019.

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RIZIN Star Kai Asakura Responds to Fan Backlash Over UFC 310 Title Fight Against Alexandre Pantoja

RIZIN Star Kai Asakura Responds to Fan Backlash Over UFC 310 Title Fight Against Alexandre PantojaRIZIN star Kai Asakura will make his UFC debut on December 7 when the promotion closes out its pay-per-view…

RIZIN Star Kai Asakura Responds to Fan Backlash Over UFC 310 Title Fight Against Alexandre Pantoja

RIZIN star Kai Asakura will make his UFC debut on December 7 when the promotion closes out its pay-per-view scheduled in Las Vegas.

As announced by CEO Dana White, Asakura will challenge reigning flyweight world champion Alexandre Pantoja in the UFC 310 co-main event, a bit of news that has some fans frustrated.

Kai Asakura

While it’s becoming more common for fighters to earn a title opportunity with just a few fights under their belt i.e. Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka, seeing a newcomer immediately step into the title picture and challenge an established champion while simultaneously skipping a line of top 10 contenders is unusual, even for UFC standards.

As a result, fans are lashing out about Asakura’s “unearned” opportunity, but that’s certainly nothing new for the two-time RIZIN titleholder.

Kai Asakura

“A lot of people say I can’t win a title match, but I’ve overcome similar adversity and I believe I can win, and I’ll prove it in the cage,” Asakura wrote in a translated post on X.

Brandon Royval Reacts to Kai Asakura’s Title Opportunity

One man who will be watching Pantoja vs. Asakura very closely is Brandon Royval. The one-time title challenger secured a big win over Tatsuro Taira in the UFC Vegas 98 headliner on Saturday, re-establishing himself as the division’s top-ranked contender.

In all likelihood, he’ll fight the winner of December’s flyweight title tilt.

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Asked for his take on Asakura’s opportunity during the post-fight press conference, Royval said:

”I’ve been watching Kai Asakura for a while, I think he’s sick. I think there’s a lot of cool things, he’s yet to make flyweight. So I’ll be there and I’ll be ready just in case he doesn’t. That being said, I’ll give the man his roses, I think he brings a lot of excitement to the division but I think if Pantoja grapples him at all it’s gonna be over”

Asakura is 21-4 in his mixed martial arts career with 13 wins by way of knockout and three submissions. He is a two-time RIZIN bantamweight champion and was a 2021 Bantamweight World Grand Prix runner-up.

‘Super Disrespectful To Belal’ – Fans React To Shavkat Rakhmonov Being Heavy Favorite To Win Gold At UFC 310

UFC Welterweight Champion Belal Muhammad will seemingly have to spring an upset if he’s to stall Shavkat Rakhmonov’s title ambitions. The schedule for the last quarter of 2024 is beginning to be finalized, and UFC CEO Dana White recently took to social media to reveal two championship headliners for the final pay-per-view of the year, […]

Continue Reading ‘Super Disrespectful To Belal’ – Fans React To Shavkat Rakhmonov Being Heavy Favorite To Win Gold At UFC 310 at MMA News.

UFC Welterweight Champion Belal Muhammad will seemingly have to spring an upset if he’s to stall Shavkat Rakhmonov’s title ambitions.

The schedule for the last quarter of 2024 is beginning to be finalized, and UFC CEO Dana White recently took to social media to reveal two championship headliners for the final pay-per-view of the year, UFC 310 on Dec. 7.

Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena will play host as both the welterweight and flyweight belts get put on the line. And in regard to the former, Muhammad will be making his very first defense five months on from a dominant display to win the crown in Manchester.

If he’s to begin his ascent to a place in the divisional GOAT discussion, Muhammad must first retain the belt at the expense of an undefeated phenom in Rakhmonov.

“Remember the Name” has long been counted out, and his emphatic performance to unseat Leon Edwards from the throne has seemingly done little to alter his status as a perennial underdog.

Fans React To UFC 310 Odds As Muhammad Gets Underdog Status vs. Rakhmonov

Prior to confirmation of their fight later this year, Rakhmonov opened as a -265 favorite on BetOnline.ag to make +225 underdog Muhammad’s reign a quick one.

Fight fans reacted to those odds — which have since shifted to -205 on the challenger’s side and +175 for the champ — after the bout was announced as the UFC 310 headliner this past weekend.

Many expressed surprise at Muhammad’s line, with some branding it “disrespectful” and others questioning when the market will “learn.”

Continue Reading ‘Super Disrespectful To Belal’ – Fans React To Shavkat Rakhmonov Being Heavy Favorite To Win Gold At UFC 310 at MMA News.

UFC Matchmaking Bulletin: Neil Magny vs. Carlos Prates Headlines UFC Vegas 100

MMA News has you covered with this week’s UFC matchmaking bulletin, featuring all the additions to upcoming cards. With UFC events being held most weekends, Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby have their matchmaking work cut out if they’re to fill them, meaning new bouts are confirmed each and every week. Between Monday, October 7, and […]

Continue Reading UFC Matchmaking Bulletin: Neil Magny vs. Carlos Prates Headlines UFC Vegas 100 at MMA News.

MMA News has you covered with this week’s UFC matchmaking bulletin, featuring all the additions to upcoming cards.

With UFC events being held most weekends, Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby have their matchmaking work cut out if they’re to fill them, meaning new bouts are confirmed each and every week.

Between Monday, October 7, and Sunday, October 13, a couple of notable fights were made official by the UFC or reported by reputable sources. For more information on those matchups, check out the links below:

A number of lower-profile matchups also came together. For those, check out this week’s quick hits:

But it wasn’t all positive, with two fights being adjusted. For those, see below:

Continue Reading UFC Matchmaking Bulletin: Neil Magny vs. Carlos Prates Headlines UFC Vegas 100 at MMA News.

Belal Muhammad vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov Set For UFC 310 Main Event, Pantoja Defense Co-headlines

The UFC will close out its pay-per-view schedule for 2024 with two major championship fights in Las Vegas on December 7. With the final quarter of this year well underway, mixed martial arts’ leading promotion is beginning to fill the remaining slots on its fight schedule. And in two of the most prominent ones now […]

Continue Reading Belal Muhammad vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov Set For UFC 310 Main Event, Pantoja Defense Co-headlines at MMA News.

The UFC will close out its pay-per-view schedule for 2024 with two major championship fights in Las Vegas on December 7.

With the final quarter of this year well underway, mixed martial arts’ leading promotion is beginning to fill the remaining slots on its fight schedule. And in two of the most prominent ones now sit reigning titleholders.

UFC CEO Dana White took to social media on Saturday to announce the headline bouts for UFC 310, the promotion’s final PPV of the year.

Closing out 2024 in style, a highly anticipated welterweight title fight between newly crowned champion Belal Muhammad (24-3, 1 NC) and undefeated challenger Shavkat Rakhmonov (18-0) will top the lineup inside Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.

There will also be title stakes in the co-headliner, as flyweight kingpin Alexandre Pantoja (28-5) returns for his second defense of the year and third overall. Having turned away the threats posed by Brandon Royval and Steve Erceg, “The Cannibal” will next share the cage with a newcomer in former Rizin champ Kai Asakura (21-4).

Muhammad captured the 170-pound gold in enemy territory this past July, beating Leon Edwards in dominant fashion to extend his unbeaten run to 11 straight fights. Rakhmonov, meanwhile, has won all six of his Octagon outings to date, submitting both Geoff Neal and Stephen Thompson in his most recent fights.

Pantoja is deeper into his reign on the throne at 125 pounds, having held the crown since a memorable win over Brandon Moreno in the summer of 2023. After a scare against Australia’s Erceg in Rio de Janeiro earlier this year, the Brazilian will look to increase his grip on the title against a highly regarded debutant in Japan’s Asakura.

White also confirmed that Ciryl Gane vs. Alexander Volkov and Vicente Luque vs. Nick Diaz — matchups postponed from cards in October and August, respectively — have been rescheduled for the same event.

With these additions, the current fights expected to take place at UFC 310 on Dec. 7 are as follows:

  • Belal Muhammad (C) vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov (welterweight championship main event)
  • Alexandre Pantoja (C) vs. Kai Asakura (flyweight championship co-main event)
  • Ciryl Gane vs. Alexander Volkov (heavyweight)
  • Movsar Evloev vs. Aljamain Sterling (featherweight)
  • Vicente Luque vs. Nick Diaz (welterweight)
  • Tatiana Suarez vs. Virna Jandiroba (women’s strawweight)
  • Anthony Smith vs. Dominick Reyes (light heavyweight)
  • Michael Chiesa vs. Max Griffin (welterweight)
  • Clay Guida vs. Chase Hooper (lightweight)
  • Cody Durden vs. Joshua Van (flyweight)

Continue Reading Belal Muhammad vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov Set For UFC 310 Main Event, Pantoja Defense Co-headlines at MMA News.