Alexandre Pantoja vs Kai Asakura background

2024 has been a big year for Dana White and Co. as the company recorded some all-time moments, from the action inside the Octagon to the financial outcome of the CEO’s undertakings. As we prepare to wrap up this year, the 55-year-old head honcho will give us one final PPV with one of the most hyped debuts in a title fight. That’s an achievement very few fighters have, and the one that instantly comes to mind is Ronda Rousey.

UFC 310 was initially found in shambles after Belal Muhammad had to pull out due to an injury. However, Dana White promoted the previously planned co-main event to the main event spot and brought in another exciting prospect for the co-main event. Now, Alexandre Pantoja will put his 125-pound gold up for grabs as the rest of the card, including the co-main event, is guaranteed to produce great action for fans around the world.

UFC 310: Alexandre Pantoja vs Kai Asakura full card

As Dana White and Co. prepare for their return to Las Vegas, a city the CEO claims to be the ‘Fight Capital’ of the world, UFC 310 has an impressive card for the fans to close the year. As usual, there are matchups from several weight classes from both the men’s and the women’s divisions, with a total of five featured fights as usual on the main card, and nine fights on the prelims and the early prelims combined. Here are the scheduled bouts listed in order:

• MAIN CARD

Alexandre Pantoja (C) vs Kai Asakura (UFC Debut)

Shavkat Rakhmonov vs Ian Garry

Ciryl Gane vs Alexander Volkov

Bryce Mitchell vs Kron Gracie

Nate Landwehr vs Dooho Choi

• PRELIMS 

Dominick Reyes vs Anthony Smith

Vicente Luque vs Themba Gorimbo

Movsar Evloev vs Aljamain Sterling

Randy Brown vs Bryan Battle

• EARLY PRELIMS

Chris Weidman vs Eryk Anders

Cody Durden vs Joshua Van

Michael Chiesa vs Max Griffin

Clay Guida vs Chase Hooper

Kennedy Nzechukwu vs Lukasz Brzeski

Co-main event of UFC 310: Pantoja vs Asakura – Shavkat Rakhmonov vs Ian Garry

The co-main went to a reshuffling and Dana White ended up setting a welterweight bout between two of the most highly touted undefeated warriors, Shavkat Rakhmonov and Ian Garry. The Kazakh star was initially scheduled to fight for the 170lbs gold but now finds himself in front of the Irish star, in a bout that is potentially being seen as a title eliminator.

Shavkat Rakhmonov has steamrolled through his 18 professional fights, including the ones he competed in the UFC. With a 100 percent finishing record, ‘Nomad’ will have to go through Ian Garry, who’s on a 15-fight winning streak. The winner is more than likely to get the next title shot against Belal Muhammad.

Main event of UFC 310: Alexandre Pantoja vs Kai Asakura

As we’ve already mentioned, Alexandre Pantoja is in unknown territory as he faces a debut challenge in the form of Kai Asakura. The former Rizin champion was still the king of the promotion as its bantamweight champion when he signed with the UFC. However, he relinquished it to come to the Las Vegas-based promotion and test his luck in a championship fight, albeit in a lower weight class.

The Japanese ace is well in form when it comes to fighting, having racked 8 wins and 2 losses in his last 10 fights. For the unversed, Asakura also has a win over UFC flyweight Manel Kape, which he earned during the Portuguese star’s run in Rizin. Moving over to Alexandre Pantoja, the Brazilian grappling artist is on a 6-fight winning streak with two title defenses under his belt. Hence, it will be interesting to see how the flyweight scene turns out after UFC 310.

UFC 310: Pantoja vs Asakura Fighters’ Record, Stats, Previous Fights

Here is a look at the statistics of the several big names on UFC 310’s card:

Alexandre Pantoja

• MMA record – 28 wins and 5 losses (12 wins and 3 losses in UFC)
• 1-time UFC flyweight champion – 2 successful title defenses
• 2-time ‘Fight of the Night’ winner and 3-time ‘Performance of the Night’ winner
• Tied at third most finishes in UFC Flyweight division history – 6

Kai Asakura

• MMA record – 21 wins and 4 losses
• 16 career finishes (13 KOs)
• 2-time Rizin Fighting Federation bantamweight champion

Shavkat Rakhmonov

• MMA record – 18 wins and 0 losses (6 wins and 0) losses in the UFC
• 18 career finishes (8 knockouts and 10 submissions)
• 2-time ‘Performance of the Night’ winner
• 1-time ‘Fight of the Night’ winner
• Longest finish streak, with 6 in a row, in UFC Welterweight division history

Ian Garry

• MMA record – 15 wins and 0 losses (8 wins and 0 losses in the UFC)
• 1-time ‘Performance of the Night’ winner
• Tied for the third-longest winning streak in UFC welterweight division history
• Third-highest significant strike accuracy in UFC Welterweight division history

Location, Venue, Date, Time of UFC 310: Aleksandre Pantoja vs Kai Asakura

UFC 310 will take place in the city of Las Vegas at the T-Mobile Arena on Sunday, December 8, 2024, starting at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT.

Weigh-Ins, Pre-Fight, and Post-Fight Press Conference

The UFC 310 pre-fight press conference has been scheduled for December 7, 2024, at the T-Mobile Arena, and the post-fight press conference will take place shortly after the culmination of the PPV on 8 December, 2024. For the weigh-in shows, the details are not available on the front yet.

Past UFC events at the T-Mobile Arena

According to records, the T-Mobile Arena has hosted a total of 29 UFC events so far and has been one of the home venues for the promotion in Las Vegas. The highest-grossing UFC event in the venue was UFC 300, headlined by Alex Pereira and Jamahal Hill.

The commentary team of UFC 310 – Will Joe Rogan be there?

The broadcast team has yet to be announced for the UFC 310 PPV, but it seems like we’ll have the usual trio of Jon Anik, Daniel Cormier, and, of course, Joe Rogan, who never misses out on a PPV in Las Vegas.

Where to watch? UFC 310: Pantoja vs Asakura Tickets

Fans can buy UFC tickets on the T-Mobile Arena’s official website, ranging from $120 to $205. Meanwhile, premium tickets could cost around $755 to $1,005. However, for fans who want an exclusive experience, they can purchase VIP packages ranging from $900 to $6,500.

For people wanting to stream the UFC 310, they can access the PPV for $79.99.