UFC 310 concluded with Alexandre Pantoja successfully defending his flyweight title against Kai Asakura, while Shavkat Rakhmonov maintained his undefeated streak with a victory over Ian Machado Garry, although the event was considered enjoyable but not particularly memorable, featuring both high and low moments for fighters like Chris Weidman and Anthony Smith.
UFC 310 is in the books, and Alexandre Pantoja remains the flyweight champion of the world. On Saturday night in Las Vegas, Pantoja defended his 125-pound title for the third time, submitting Kai Asakura in the second round of the main event. Earlier, Shavkat Rakhmonov kept his undefeated streak alive with a hard-fought victory over Ian Machado Garry, setting himself up for a welterweight title shot in 2025.
With so much to discuss, we gathered the MMA Fighting brain trust to break down the biggest topics from UFC 310. Here’s what they had to say.
Lee: It wasn’t the card the UFC wanted, but it was certainly the card they and us deserved. Overall, it’s been a kick-ass year for the UFC, with the good outweighing the bad, and that applies to Saturday’s event too. We saw another pantheon performance from Alexandre Pantoja, while Shavkat Rakhmanov and Ian Machado Garry both raised their stock in different ways. Bryce Mitchell vs. Kron Gracie delivered the weirdness we expected with a satisfying finish as a bonus.
Meshew: An enjoyable evening for hardcore MMA fans. Heading into the event, I said that on paper it was the third-best pay-per-view of the year, top to bottom. The action didn’t quite live up to that expectation, but it was pretty good all around. Some notable performances on the undercard and then a main card that simultaneously underwhelmed and delivered. Ultimately, what we got was a fun but flawed card with a couple of very significant moments.
Heck: UFC 310 is a middle-of-the-pack at best card. For every Movsar Evloev vs. Aljamain Sterling, we got Eryk Anders running over Chris Weidman. For the testicular fortitude Shavkat Rakhmonov and Ian Machado Garry displayed, we got Anthony Smith getting uncomfortably hit 100-plus unanswered times. But we also got Alexandre Pantoja cementing himself as not just a pound-for-pound great but the second-best UFC flyweight of all time.
Martin: A pay-per-view that won’t be remembered very long. The year-end show wasn’t exactly star-studded, especially after Belal Muhammad was forced out of his title fight against Shavkat Rakhmonov. While Pantoja beating Kai Asakura didn’t help matters much, Rakhmonov vs. Garry was compelling yet not the barnburner many expected. Outside of that, none of the results truly impact the future unless you count Dana White preparing to hand out gold watches to veterans like Chris Weidman.
Heck: The actual correct answer is Pantoja being the freaking man, but I’ll go with Movsar Evloev vs. Aljamain Sterling. Buried on the prelims, this fight delivered high-level grappling mixed with Evloev’s underrated striking. When Evloev hit Sterling, he accepted it but didn’t like it one bit.
Lee: Age-appropriate matchmaking for the win! Michael Chiesa vs. Max Griffin was sharp booking. Both fighters deserved a fair matchup rather than being thrown to young contenders.
Martin: Does Vicente Luque sleeping Themba Gorimbo count? After going 1-3 over four fights, Luque dropped Gorimbo with a punch and immediately locked on an anaconda choke that put him to sleep.
Meshew: You’re all insane; everything about Alexandre Pantoja was clearly the best moment of UFC 310. He’s one of those rare fighters who is almost universally beloved.
Lee: Everything to do with Merab Dvalishvili heading into UFC 311 was disappointing. His strategy of making himself dislikable ahead of his first title defense is bold and puzzling.
Heck: The sadness surrounding Chris Weidman and Anthony Smith’s losses was palpable. Time for Smith to transition to commentary where he’ll excel.
Meshew: Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Ian Machado Garry was a huge disappointment despite its stakes and high-level nature.
Martin: Heavyweight division is in shambles after Ciryl Gane‘s controversial win over Alexander Volkov left Tom Aspinall without a clear contender.
Lee: Ian Machado Garry is way better than people were giving him credit for heading into UFC 310.
Heck: Flyweight rocks! Pantoja could hold onto his title for a long time.
Martin: Shavkat is human after all; expectations weigh heavy in this sport.
Meshew: Do not spit in the face of the Gods; Volkov brought this loss on himself by disrespecting them!