UFC 310 features current and former champions with Alexandre Pantoja headlining, while former champions Chris Weidman and Aljamain Sterling express dissatisfaction with their preliminary card placements, feeling it undermines their status despite the UFC’s claim that prelims offer broader viewership.
UFC 310 is packed with talent. Four champions, current or former, grace the event. But only two headline the main card: Alexandre Pantoja and Ciryl Gane, who faces Alexander Volkov in a rematch.
Chris Weidman, once a middleweight champ, finds himself fifth on the early prelims. Aljamain Sterling, a bantamweight legend, follows soon after on the prelim card. It’s puzzling how UFC orders these bouts sometimes. Sterling’s not thrilled about his spot; he could be the greatest 135-pounder ever, fighting Movsar Evloev for potential featherweight contention.
Matt Brown? He’s been everywhere on a UFC card. Prelims always irked him though. He gets why Sterling’s upset, even if UFC didn’t mean to disrespect him.
“It’s like this,” Brown shared on The Fighter vs. The Writer. “Fighters see it as respect. Main card? They value us. Prelims? Feels like a demotion.”
“Fans hear ‘ESPN prelims’ and think more viewers,” Brown continued. “But that doesn’t cut it for fighters. It didn’t for me. Prelims felt like disrespect. I’m not a prelim guy!”
For Sterling and Weidman, past champs now buried deep in the card, it probably stings more. Especially at T-Mobile Arena in Vegas, where crowds are latecomers.
Sterling and Weidman might face empty seats rather than roaring fans when they fight.
Brown explained, “Main card means bigger crowd—what we crave! More people, louder cheers. Every fighter wants that.”
“Especially guys like Chris Weidman and Aljamain Sterling,” Brown added. “They feel demoted. I felt that way on prelims—like I’m on my way out.”
UFC’s bout order process? A mystery. Brown’s never heard any real reasoning behind it.
But perception matters, and being on prelims bugged him during pay-per-views where main cards shine brightest.
Brown mused, “Fighters think moving up the card is progress—like belts in martial arts. But does UFC see it that way? Probably not.”
“As a former champ, you’d expect a main card spot,” he noted. “Featured prelims don’t feel like a main event.”
Despite the frustration of prelim placement, Brown knows the fight remains unchanged—whether first or last to enter the octagon.
Weidman and Sterling likely feel the same but harbor understandable resentment about their Saturday slots.
“Pay’s consistent unless you’re headlining,” Brown said. “Movsar or Aljamain winning could lead to big fights.”
“Put all that aside,” he advised. “Focus on performance; forget the noise—that’s what I did.”