UFC 310 Main Event Best Bet
Ending their PPV schedule at their home base in Las Vegas, the UFC brings a double-header of 5-round fights to the table for UFC 310. Originally scheduled to be headlined by a welterweight title fight between Belal Muhammad and Shavkat Rakhmonov, an injury to Muhammad has made way for Ian Machado Garry to step in. That fight will now serve as the co-headliner to a UFC flyweight title matchup. Read UFC 310 main event best bet.
Alexandre Pantoja looks for his third successful title defense after edging out Steve Erceg back in June.
UFC newcomer, Kai Asakura, looks to make good on being thrusted into a main event title opportunity thanks to the star power and following he built in Japan.
Will the Brazilian continue building his championship legacy? Or will the former RIZIN champion add another piece of hardware to his mantle? Read on to see how this grappler vs striker matchup could go down and how you can make some coin from it.
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Alexandre Pantoja
Many had high hopes for Pantoja when he was given the #1 seed on The Ultimate Fighter season 24, a season in which the UFC had collected flyweight champions from all over the world to determine who would take on Demetrious Johnson.
He would go on to lose in the finals to Tim Elliott, but the UFC was impressed enough to bring the Brazilian back. Putting together a 6-3 run through his first 9 fights with the promotion, Pantoja finally turned a corner and picked up three straight wins to earn himself a title shot against Brandon Moreno last year. Pantoja would win a split decision at UFC 290 and then defend the title two more times over the next 12 months.
What really allowed Pantoja to turn the corner, in my opinion, was the confidence in his striking. That allowed him to be a little more aggressive and open grappling opportunities, which is where he is a master-level controller.
Utilizing powerful and fast strikes early either leads to club and sub opportunities, taking advantage of desperation takedown opportunities, or opening takedowns of his own. Pantoja’s ability to find the back of his opponents through takedowns, trips, and scrambles has made him a prominent threat on the mat. Although his body language usually doesn’t look great late, he always finds a way to remain safe and get to positions of comfort where he can catch his breath and survive.
Kai Asakura
August 2019 is likely when most MMA fans became aware of Kai Asakura. That month he delivered a 68-second knockout performance over the former UFC title challenger, Kyoji Horiguchi.
I recall the highlight being replayed everywhere, not because of how nasty the knockout was, but also the significance. That was only the 3rd defeat in Horiguchi’s 31-fight career. Many believe he was wrongfully released from the UFC, during the time the UFC seemed to be purging flyweights, so seeing him lose to someone like Asakura was a surprise. Asakura would go 8-3 after that matchup, which included his title winning performance last time out against former Bellator champion, Juan Archuleta.
The big reason the UFC brought Asakura over, and ushered him right into a title fight, is that he has finished 16 of his 21 fights, with 13 of those coming by knockout.
To invest in a fighter that can produce finishes at the smallest weight class in the UFC is a no-brainer. Especially if they already have a massive following in a market that has been scarcely touched by the UFC in recent years. It’s been 7 years since the UFC went to Japan, but you can bet they will be doing so if Asakura gets the UFC gold wrapped around his waist this weekend.
The Pick
This a great stylistic clash here, unfortunately for Asakura I think he will struggle with dealing with the grappling and BJJ of Pantoja. I think Pantoja is the best BJJ specialist that Asakura has faced, and it was not that long ago that Asakura suffered a defeat at the hands of a Japanese veteran who was able to take him down and grind him out.
Pantoja should be able to get the dominant positions he needs, and I think that will lead to a submission win. If this gets into deeper water, Asakura’s knockout power and cardio edge could make things sweatier for Pantoja backers. I’m not a huge fan of the big chalk on Pantoja, so I will lean on the violence totally to try attacking this fight from an angle with better odds and covers how I believe this fight will play out. Look for Pantoja to strangle Asakura within two rounds.
