ufc 310 | UFC Betting Sites - The Best MMA Online Bookies

Aljamain Sterling ‘Insulted’ After Being Pushed to UFC 310 Prelims: ‘I Am a Main Card Fighter’

Aljamain Sterling 'Insulted' After Being Pushed to UFC 310 Prelims: 'I Am a Main Card Fighter' Aljamain Sterling is confused by his relegation to the prelims. After scoring a unanimous decision victory over Calvin Kattar…

Aljamain Sterling is confused by his relegation to the prelims.

After scoring a unanimous decision victory over Calvin Kattar in his featherweight debut at UFC 300, the ‘Funk Master’ returns to the Octagon this Saturday night at UFC 310 in Las Vegas. Sterling is set to square off with Movsar Evloev in a bout that was originally scheduled to go down in October until Sterling suffered an injury.

Over the last several years, Sterling has been a mainstay on main cards and in main events. However, his role at the final pay-per-view of the year will see him take a spot on the prelims — a position he’s not exactly thrilled with.

“I didn’t know if I should have been insulted by the placement on the fight card or glass half-full,” Sterling said in a video on his YouTube channel. “I guess that’s the best way I try to look at everything in life. I get to fight earlier and get to be done earlier. I was a little confused by it, of course. I guess they have their rhyme or reason for what they do, the UFC brass, and it is what it is.

“At the end of the day, it’s not my organization. I don’t call the shots. I just go out there and compete, and it’s up to me to go out there and prove these guys wrong that I am a main card fighter. I think people are gonna be in for a very big surprise, and the UFC is gonna realize we messed up big time by not putting this on the main card” (h/t MMA Mania).

Does Aljamain Sterling have a point?

To be fair, Sterling has not competed on the prelims since his win over Pedro Munhoz at UFC 238 more than five years ago. The lone exception during that timeframe was his scrap with Kattar at UFC 300 — an event so stacked that two former UFC champions were the curtain-jerkers.

Why Dana White and Co. opted to keep Sterling off the main card is anyone’s guess, but if we’re being honest, his three-round scrap with Kattar didn’t exactly set the world on fire, nor did Evloev’s last outing against Arnold Allen in January.

Kai Asakura Promises a Knockout at UFC 310: ‘One Shot Is All I Need’ Against Alexandre Pantoja

UFC newcomer Kai Asakura plans to put his knockout power on display against flyweight titleholder Alexandre Pantoja. After making…

UFC newcomer Kai Asakura plans to put his knockout power on display against flyweight titleholder Alexandre Pantoja.

After making a name for himself under the RIZIN FF banner, capturing the promotion’s bantamweight title on two separate occasions and stacking bodies with a slew of highlight-reel knockouts, Asakura makes his UFC debut at the promotion’s final pay-per-view event of the year on December 7.

But he’s not just fighting on the card — he’s headlining it.

2 title fights booked got 310 v0 1oob18n55dud1 1

Asakura steps into the main event spotlight in his first UFC outing and plans on bringing the flyweight championship back home to Japan, becoming the first Japanese-born fighter to do so in the UFC’s modern era.

Looking ahead to their highly anticipated clash at UFC 310 in Las Vegas, Asakura made a rather bold prediction for his promotional premiere.

“I don’t see him [Pantoja] representing any problems for me anywhere,” Asakura told the UFC during a recent interview. “He’s someone I don’t think I’ll have any problem dealing with. The advantage I hold over Pantoja is that I have one-shot knockout power, so it only takes one shot and I’m expecting this fight to be over with one shot…

“I know in the history of the UFC, there have been many famous knockout scenes, but I’m hoping that at UFC 310, I can add my finish to those highlight reels.”

Kai Asakura warns fans to not blink during final UFC title fight of 2024

Asakura, 31, is 21-4 in his mixed martial arts career with 13 of his victories coming by way of knockout. His last appearance came at RIZIN 45 when he scored a second-round TKO against former Bellator champion Juan Archuleta. Asakura also holds victories over Manel Kape and Kyoji Horiguchi.

“Since I started fighting, I always wanted to be the best in the world [and] to me, it would all be meaningless unless I reached the very top,” Asakura said in a promo hyping his clash with Pantoja. “I’m here to become UFC champion, I have a stronger will than anybody else. I know how to achieve my goals and that’s all I’m focused on.”

‘He’s Not Special’ – Alexandre Pantoja Slammed by UFC 310 Title Challenger Kai Asakura

Alexandre Pantoja is good. Maybe even great, but he’s not special. Coming off a successful albeit challenging defense against…

Alexandre Pantoja is good. Maybe even great, but he’s not special.

Coming off a successful albeit challenging defense against Steve Erceg in May, ‘The Cannibal’ will put his flyweight world title on the line when he welcomes two-time RIZIN champion Kai Asakura to the Octagon at UFC 310.

Asakura getting a title shot in his first career fight under the UFC banner came as quite a surprise to many fight fans, but anyone familiar with Asakura’s work can certainly understand why Dana White and Co. handed him the instant opportunity.

Primarily competing in RIZIN, Asakura is 21-4 with 13 of his victories coming via KO/TKO, and held the promotion’s bantamweight belt on two separate occasions.

Some would say that the 31-year-old veteran is a special kind of athlete. Too bad he can’t say the same about Pantoja.

“Pantoja is great at everything, but he’s not special at anything; he doesn’t have a unique skill in one area that makes him better than anyone else,” Asakura told E. Spencer Kyte of UFC.com. “What makes him better than anyone else is his heart — he’s got great heart, and that’s what makes him a great champion, but I don’t see him representing any problems for me anywhere. He’s someone I don’t think I’ll have any problem dealing with.

“The advantage I hold over Pantoja is that I have one-shot knockout power, so it only takes one shot. And I’m expecting this fight to be over with one shot. I know in the history of the UFC, there have been many famous knockout scenes, but I’m hoping that at UFC 310, I can add my finish to those highlight reels.

Kai Asakura plans on beating Pantoja to become the uFC’s first Japanese World champion

Over the UFC’s 31+ years of existence, the promotion has hosted a slew of top-tier talent from The Land of the Rising Sun — Kyoji Horiguchi, Yushin Okami, Takanora Gomi, Yoshihiro Akiyama, and Tatsuro Taira, to name a few.

However, none of them ever held UFC gold. In fact, no fighter from Japan has ever become a UFC champion in the modern era — something Asakura plans to remedy on December 7.

“Until now, there have been many fighters In the UFC from Japan who have fought and tried to win a title, and none of them have been successful,” Asakura said. “I feel like there is an impression amongst fight fans that Japanese fighters aren’t that strong, so my goal is to go there and prove that the Japanese fighters are amongst the best fighters in the world.

“I want to bring back MMA’s popularity in Japan, and provide a place where my friends, teammates, and other fighters are able to earn a living in Japan. I feel like someone has to bring the MMA scene back to Japan, and I’m very proud that I’m part of the Japanese generation that will bring MMA popularity back to Japan.”

John McCarthy says Michael Chandler is Cooked: ‘He’s Hit Tony Ferguson Status’

Former UFC referee ‘Big’ John McCarthy thinks Michael Chandler has finally hit Tony Ferguson status. After sitting on the…

Former UFC referee ‘Big’ John McCarthy thinks Michael Chandler has finally hit Tony Ferguson status.

After sitting on the sidelines for two years waiting for a fight that never came to fruition, Chandler returned to the Octagon at UFC 309 for a rematch with former lightweight world champion Charles Oliveira. Despite a valiant effort and an electrifying fifth round, Chandler came up short on the scorecards.

With the loss, Chandler has lost four of his last five under the UFC banner with his only win during that run coming against Ferguson at UFC 274.

Looking back on the ex-Bellator titleholder’s performance in MSG, McCarthy suggested that Chandler’s career is on a downward trajectory, similar to that of ‘El Cucuy’ who infamously lost eight straight before being shown the door earlier this year.

“Michael Chandler has hit Tony Ferguson status — just being honest … absolutely,” McCarthy said in a recent episode of his WEIGHING IN podcast with Josh Thomson. “Who’s he going to beat? He looked slow. You cannot look slow in the lightweight division. You’re going to die, and he got outwrestled by a jiu-jitsu guy” (h/t Sportskeeda).

Where does Michael Chandler go from here?

Where Chandler goes from here is anyone’s guess.

Unfortunately, ‘Iron’ wasted a large chunk of his time waiting for a fight with Conor McGregor that, in all honestly, was never going to happen.

Of course, that didn’t stop Chandler from calling out the Irishman following his latest loss, but we’ve got a feeling the UFC won’t be itching to book McGregor anytime soon after he was found liable for the 2018 rape of a woman inside a Dublin hotel.

With a losing record and rematches against Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje unlikely, McCarthy doesn’t quite know where Chandler fits in one of the UFC’s most talent-rich divisions.

“Dustin [Poirier] doesn’t want to fight him again because of the same things that he f*cking ended up doing in the Oliveira fight,” McCarthy said. “Now I always sit there and say, ‘If you’re not cheating, you’re not trying,’ but don’t sit there and f*cking tell me that he didn’t hit him to the back of the head.

“I don’t give a f*ck if your fist is going on the other side of his ear when your forearm is hitting him to the back of the head, it’s the f*cking back of the head. … I’m not saying he’s got seven losses in a row (like Ferguson) — I’m saying he’s on the same path as Tony Ferguson.”

John McCarthy says Michael Chandler is Cooked: ‘He’s Hit Tony Ferguson Status’

Former UFC referee ‘Big’ John McCarthy thinks Michael Chandler has finally hit Tony Ferguson status. After sitting on the…

Former UFC referee ‘Big’ John McCarthy thinks Michael Chandler has finally hit Tony Ferguson status.

With the loss, Chandler has lost four of his last five under the UFC banner with his only win during that run coming against Ferguson at UFC 274.

“Michael Chandler has hit Tony Ferguson status — just being honest … absolutely,” McCarthy said in a recent episode of his WEIGHING IN podcast with Josh Thomson. “Who’s he going to beat? He looked slow. You cannot look slow in the lightweight division. You’re going to die, and he got outwrestled by a jiu-jitsu guy” (h/t Sportskeeda).

Where does Michael Chandler go from here?

Where Chandler goes from here is anyone’s guess.

Unfortunately, ‘Iron’ wasted a large chunk of his time waiting for a fight with Conor McGregor that, in all honestly, was never going to happen.

With a losing record and rematches against Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje unlikely, McCarthy doesn’t quite know where Chandler fits in one of the UFC’s most talent-rich divisions.

“Dustin [Poirier] doesn’t want to fight him again because of the same things that he f*cking ended up doing in the Oliveira fight,” McCarthy said. “Now I always sit there and say, ‘If you’re not cheating, you’re not trying,’ but don’t sit there and f*cking tell me that he didn’t hit him to the back of the head.

“I don’t give a f*ck if your fist is going on the other side of his ear when your forearm is hitting him to the back of the head, it’s the f*cking back of the head. … I’m not saying he’s got seven losses in a row (like Ferguson) — I’m saying he’s on the same path as Tony Ferguson.”

Former UFC Champion Points Out Huge Difference Kai Asakura Will Have To Adapt To At UFC 310

One of the most exciting elements of the UFC’s final PPV event of 2024 is the introduction of a new superstar who is going right into a main event title fight. Kai Asakura has already become a huge name in Japan through the time he has spent in RIZIN. Though the 31-year old has fought […]

Though the 31-year old has fought some names that UFC fans will recognise, not to mention some of the acclaim he has received during his time in Japan, December 7 is when we all get to find out how he will fare in the UFC’s flyweight division when he challenges Alexandre Pantoja for the 125-pound title.

Asakura’s highlight reel, which fans will become used to seeing in the promos for UFC 310, paints a good picture of who he is as a fighter. He does his best work on the feet and has some signature finishes to go with his striking skills.

That then opens up the question of how he will perform when facing a very high-level grappler in Pantoja who is usually so dominant on the ground. In a recent YouTube video, UFC commentator and former champion Michael Bisping added another question mark to this debate.

He pointed out that just like when the UFC and PRIDE fighters would crossover back in the day, fighters would have to adapt to fighting in a ring or a cage and that could be a factor in Las Vegas’ main event clash because it changes the way that you defend takedowns.

“The big difference between PRIDE and the UFC is that they are competed in a ring and the reason why this is going to be interesting is because has he adapted his style to the UFC, has he been training in a cage? In his fights, for example his last one against Juan Archuleta, Juan Archuleta was trying to take him down. Up against the ring, under the ropes, he was sprawling and his legs were all the way past, they were right past the end of the ropes on the apron of the ring… obviously, in a cage, you can’t do that. So if you’re pushed up against it, your feet are perpendicular to your body and that makes it easier for somebody like Alexandre Pantoja to get a hold of a leg.”