UFC 310 culminates in two huge fights tonight, as Shavkat Rakhmonov faces Ian Machado Garry before Alexandre Pantoja defends his flyweight belt against Kai Asakura.
Rakhmonov was due to challenge welterweight champion Belal Muhammad here, but the latter withdrew due to a bone infection, leading Machado Garry to step in. The unbeaten Irishman faces the unbeaten Kazakh – one of his former training partners – in a highly-anticipated bout, which will establish a No 1 contender at 170lb.
Then, the UFC 310 main event pits Pantoja against Asakura, who is challenging for gold in his promotional debut. Asakura previously reigned as Rizin’s bantamweight champion, and that pedigree sees him hit the ground running in the UFC.
Elsewhere on the card, former interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane faces Alexander Volkov in a rematch, while Aljamain Sterling and Chris Weidman are the other ex-title holders to feature in Las Vegas.
Follow live updates and results from the UFC 310 main card and prelims, below.
UFC 310 LIVE
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Main event: Alexandre Pantoja defends his flyweight title versus Kai Asakura
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Asakura, a former Rizin bantamweight champion, fights for gold in his UFC debut
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Pantoja given fresh challenge after beating top contenders Moreno and Royval multiple times
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Co-main event: Shavkat Rakhmonov faces Ian Machado Garry to decide No 1 contender at welterweight
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Machado Garry replaces champion Belal Muhammad, whose bone infection ruled him out of title defence versus Rakhmonov
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Rakhmonov and Machado Garry, both unbeaten, are former training partners
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Rakhmonov (18-0, 18 stoppages) submitted Machado Garry (15-0, 8 stoppages) in past sparring rounds
UFC 310: Dominick Reyes def. Anthony Smith
02:59 , Alex Pattle
Here’s what Smith told the UFC about his late friend and coach Scott Morton this week:
“Him and I have trained every day or twice a day, damn near on average, six days a week since I was 17 years old. And he was my coach, but that was one of the smaller parts of what he was. That guy was my best friend. He was my mentor, older brother, father figure.”
Now he tells Joe Rogan: “I don’t even give a f*** about the fight. This guy was my best friend. I thought I could push it down, but I couldn’t even control it walking out here. I don’t know how many times I can do this without him.”
Smith adds that it’s “probably” his final fight.
UFC 310 LIVE: Anthony Smith vs Dominick Reyes
02:51 , Alex Pattle
Round one
Smith grabs a single-leg after a feeling-out period on the feet, but Reyes is able to slip free.
Decent overhand right for Smith, then we have a brief pause in the action due to an accidental eye poke on Reyes.
Back under way. Both men are landing straight punches. Lead uppercut by Reyes, from a southpaw stance.
Smith walks onto a series of jabs, and Reyes adds some crosses now. Smith felt those.
Trio of stiff jabs by Reyes now, and Smith sticks his tongue out at his fellow American.
Round two
Smith goes for a single-leg, but Reyes defends with some nasty elbows! It’s already 42-0 to Reyes in significant strikes in this round!
Smith is kneeling on the mat now, still eating elbows and punches. Reyes moves into half-guard, where he lands more strikes.
Reyes has now reached 127 significant strikes – I believe in the fight, rather than this round.
And referee Marc Goddard finally steps in. Reyes gets the TKO.
Dominick Reyes def. Anthony Smith via second-round TKO (ground strikes, 4:46)
UFC 310 LIVE: Anthony Smith vs Dominick Reyes
02:32 , Alex Pattle
To the light-heavyweight division now, where Anthony Smith faces Dominick Reyes.
This is a meeting of former title challengers; in 2019, Smith was easily outpointed by then-champion Jon Jones, who won an extremely controversial decision against Reyes in 2020.
Smith is fighting despite the passing of his coach and close friend Scott Morton last month. Morton died of a heart attack at just 47 years old.
Smith looks incredibly emotional.
UFC 310 LIVE: Vicente Luque vs Themba Gorimbo
02:16 , Alex Pattle
Next up, Vicente Luque vs Themba Gorimbo at welterweight.
Gorimbo steps in for UFC legend Nick Diaz, who was unable to make it through his training camp.
Round one
OH! Luque drops Gorimbo early with a short right hook, then snatches an anaconda choke! He puts Gorimbo OUT COLD!
Vicente Luque def. Themba Gorimbo via first-round submission (anaconda choke, 0:52)
UFC 310 LIVE: Aljamain Sterling vs Movsar Evloev
02:01 , Alex Pattle
Round three
This could be the deciding round. Evloev misses with a spinning back fist, and Sterling uses his momentum against him, timing a body-lock takedown to perfection.
Evloev stands against the fence, but he’s dumped to the mat. Once again the Russian gets back to his feet, but he’s trapped against the cage wall.
He manages to roll free, and in the ensuing scramble, Evloev ends up in Sterling’s guard! Sterling stands but is dragged down, and Evloev is working on taking the back…
One minute for Sterling to survive a submission, and he may well take this fight – although it has been close throughout… We’ll go to the scorecards.
Movsar Evloev def. Aljamain Sterling via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
Wow. Wrong way, in my opinion. That was a fairly clear 29-28 to Sterling.
UFC 310 LIVE: Aljamain Sterling vs Movsar Evloev
01:54 , Alex Pattle
Sterling has Merab Dvalishvili, the men’s bantamweight champion, in his corner. The pair are longtime teammates, and Dvalishvili took the title from Sean O’Malley in September, a year after Sterling lost the belt to O’Malley.
Round two
Sterling with a well-timed takedown early in round two! He has Evloev against the fence, but Evloev is able to reverse the position. He has a crucifix for now… then takes the back!
What a rollercoaster this fight has been already. Such high-level grappling. Sterling explodes free, and the featherweights are standing!
A wild striking exchange ensues. Both men are winging punches. Evloev catches a kick and takes down Sterling, landing in half-guard.
Again the tide turns, with Sterling able to get onto his knees and drive Evloev to the fence.
UFC 310 LIVE: Aljamain Sterling vs Movsar Evloev
01:49 , Alex Pattle
Round one
Lots of activity from Sterling early on, while Evloev looks to make reads. Sterling using kicks to keep things at the range he wants for now, then a decent right cross.
Now a takedown! The Jamaican-American juuuuust about gets Evloev to the mat, moving from a single-leg to a rear body lock.
Evloev is able to crawl to the fence, but Sterling slowly works on getting his leg hooks in, and he does. He’s trying to turn them into a body triangle now, with Evloev seated on the mat.
Evloev is eventually able to strip Sterling’s hooks and stand, but he’s dumped to the mat by the “Funkmaster”!
Evloev rallies well, though, and now he’s in charge of this grappling exchange… He ends the round on top, but Sterling took that round.
A fascinating final minute, though, with Evloev showing his own wrestling prowess.
UFC 310 LIVE: Aljamain Sterling vs Movsar Evloev
01:42 , Alex Pattle
Next up, a potential No 1 contender’s fight at featherweight. It’s criminal that this one is on the prelims.
Sterling, a former bantamweight champion, won his 145lb debut by outpointing Calvin Kattar in April.
Now he faces a stern test in the unbeaten Evloev, who is 18-0 and on the periphery of the title picture.
Can Sterling force his way past the Russian and into the conversation for a title shot? Let’s find out.
UFC 310 LIVE: Bryan Battle def. Randy Brown
01:35 , Alex Pattle
Bryan Battle def. Randy Brown via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28).
Boos for Battle, after his four-pound miss at yesterday’s weigh-in. But 29-28 in his favour felt the right score.
“Who are you booing?” he asks the crowd. “I know all these sick, twisted degenerates in Vegas aren’t booing the ‘Butcher’. I just put my heart out there for you.”
UFC 310 LIVE: Randy Brown vs Bryan Battle
01:31 , Alex Pattle
Round two
Brown lands a flying knee, then the welterweights clinch. Both land good knees from there.
A long spell is spent grappling against the fence. Brown eventually disengages, but after missing an uppercut, he grapples again.
Brown backs off once more, and he eats a big knee while ducking his head in the next striking exchange! We’re soon back to more wrestling along the cage wall, with Battle in control for now.
But after they separate, Brown unloads body shots on Battle! Before long, though, the fighters are clinching against the fence yet again.
Statistically, Battle is massively outlanding Brown in the clinch.
Round three
Brown needs to keep this fight at range. Some good kicks from him early in this final round. But Battle marches through that offence to clinch Brown against the fence.
Brown with a trip, but Battle is quickly back to his feet. Brown tries to counter with a standing guillotine, but it’s not there for him.
More grappling along the cage wall, to the crowd’s dismay. When the fighters eventually move into the open, Brown lands a heavy left hook, before Battle responds with knees to the body.
Aaaaaand back to fence grappling, to the sound of boos. That’s where the fight ends, as the clock runs down.
UFC 310 LIVE: Randy Brown vs Bryan Battle
01:19 , Alex Pattle
Round one
Brown with some fairly sharp punching early, with Battle happy to cover up and slowly edge forward. Battle eventually shoots for a takedown against the fence, but he’s denied.
Now Battle starts to open up more. He’s throwing a fair few front kicks to the body. Still, Brown is a step ahead, and Battle opts to grapple again.
He gets a body lock and drives Brown to the fence, where Brown gets an overhook and is eventually able to throw Battle!
A scramble ensues, and we’re quickly back to a striking exchange. Late in the round, Battle is again denied a takedown against the fence, and Brown secures a trip!
He gets into crucifix position and fires off a few elbows before the buzzer sounds. Solid first round for Brown.
UFC 310 LIVE: Randy Brown vs Bryan Battle
01:08 , Alex Pattle
The first regular prelim of the night is upon us.
Randy Brown faces Bryan Battle at welterweight, although Battle came in 4lb overweight yesterday.
UFC 310 LIVE: Conor McGregor ordered to pay Nikita Hand’s costs in civil rape case
01:03 , Alex Pattle
Some more serious news now.
Nikita Hand has been awarded costs in her civil action against Conor McGregor, after a jury found she had been raped by the mixed martial arts fighter in Dublin six years ago.
A judge in the High Court also ruled that James Lawrence, from whom she also sought damages for assault, but lost, cannot claim his legal costs against her.
Ms Hand, who accused the sportsman of raping her in a Dublin hotel in December 2018, won her claim against him for damages in a case last month. The costs of the case, which ran for some three weeks, are estimated to be more than €1m (£829,000).
The ruling means that Ms Hand and Mr Lawrence will pay their own costs in relation to the claim against him. Mr McGregor, however, will have to pay the full costs relating to his side of the case, which will include Ms Hand’s costs relating to the claim against him.
The judge’s ruling on Thursday means that Ms Hand will pay the bill relating to costs in dealing with her claim against Mr Lawrence only.
More here:
Conor McGregor ordered to pay Nikita Hand’s costs in civil rape case
UFC 310 LIVE: Eryk Anders def. Chris Weidman
00:54 , Alex Pattle
Eryk Anders gets a big win over Chris Weidman, stopping the former middleweight champion in round two!
Anders seals the TKO with a prolonged barrage of hammer fists, punches and elbows. There were just nine seconds left in the round.
The fight took place at a 195lb catchweight, three weeks after their middleweight bout fell through due to Anders being ill.
UFC 310 LIVE: Dvalishvili marched into head office demanding Nurmagomedov fight
00:45 , Alex Pattle
And here’s more on the afore-mentioned co-main event of UFC 311, which pits Merab Dvalishvili against Umar Nurmagomedov.
Dvalishvili was sick of being accused of ‘ducking’ Nurmagomedov, it seems…
And so he did this:
‘Disrespected’ champion marched into UFC office demanding fight
UFC 310 LIVE: Joshua Van def. Cody Durden
00:42 , Alex Pattle
For the first time tonight, the judges are needed.
Joshua Van beats Cody Curden via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-26, 30-27), courtesy of a striking clinic.
UFC 310 LIVE: Makhachev vs Tsarukyan 2 official as UFC 311 main event
00:20 , Alex Pattle
In some major news this week, Islam Makhachev vs Arman Tsarukyan 2 was confirmed as the main event of UFC 311.
Five years after Makhachev outpointed Tsarukyan in a close bout, the pair will square off again – with Makhachev’s lightweight title on the line.
Also at the first UFC pay-per-view of 2025, Merab Dvalishvili defends his bantamweight title against Umar Nurmagomedov.
That means Umar’s cousin, UFC great Khabib, will be busy on 18 January: coaching Umar and Makhachev (Khabib’s childhood friend) in back-to-back fights.
More here:
UFC 311 main event finally confirmed – with bonus title fight added
UFC 310 LIVE: Michael Chiesa def. Max Griffin
00:06 , Alex Pattle
A second straight submission on the early prelims, and a third straight finish!
Michael Chiesa beats Max Griffin with a rear naked choke in the third round.
UFC 310 LIVE: Ian Machado Garry ‘will get finished’ if he can’t avoid this weapon
Saturday 7 December 2024 23:47 , Alex Pattle
Former UFC champion Michael Bisping has issued a stark warning to Ian Machado Garry ahead of tonight’s co-main event…
Ian Garry ‘will get finished’ by Shavkat Rakhmonov if he can’t avoid key weapon
UFC 310 LIVE: Chase Hooper def. Clay Guida
Saturday 7 December 2024 23:40 , Alex Pattle
Another one down, and it’s another first-round finish!
This one is a submission, as the young Chase Hooper defeats veteran Clay Guida via armbar, with 3:41 gone.
UFC 310: Shavkat Rakhmonov submitted Ian Machado Garry in sparring rounds
Saturday 7 December 2024 23:30 , Alex Pattle
A key narrative heading into UFC 310 has been Rakhmonov and Machado Garry’s past as sparring partners.
Rakhmonov claimed this week that he submitted the Irishman back in the day, and Machado Garry admitted as much later in the week.
More here:
Shavkat Rakhmonov clears up Ian Garry sparring rumours with blunt claim
UFC 310 LIVE: Kennedy Nzechukwu def. Lukasz Brzeski
Saturday 7 December 2024 23:14 , Alex Pattle
The first fight of the night is already in the books!
Kennedy Nzechukwu secures a TKO win against Lukasz Brzeski, stopping him with nine seconds left in the first round!
UFC 310 LIVE: Alexandra Pantoja a top-10 P4P fighter?
Saturday 7 December 2024 22:45 , Alex Pattle
Okay, okay… so. Alexandra Pantoja is not in The Independent’s pound-for-pound UFC top 10.
However, the more I think about his resume, the more I regret not including him up to this point.
During and before his run as UFC flyweight champion, he’s notched three wins over ex-title holder Brandon Moreno, and two over No 1-ranked Brandon Royval.
In fact, the Brazilian is 9-0 against the division’s current top 10 (he’s not included in that 10, as champion). The only one he hasn’t beaten is the only one he hasn’t fought: Amir Albazi, who lost to Moreno recently.
Furthermore, the 33-year-old is always in exciting fights.
If he beats Kai Asakura tonight, Pantoja will enter our list. That’s a promise.
The Independent’s pound-for-pound UFC rankings
UFC 310 LIVE: Odds
Saturday 7 December 2024 22:30 , Alex Pattle
Pantoja – 2/5; Asakura – 2/1
Rakhmonov – 2/7; Machado Garry – 12/5
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UFC 310: All fights – main card and prelims
Saturday 7 December 2024 22:15 , Alex Pattle
Subject to very late changes…
Main card
Alexandre Pantoja (C) vs Kai Asakura (men’s flyweight title)
Shavkat Rakhmonov vs Ian Machado Garry (welterweight, five rounds)
Ciryl Gane vs Alexander Volkov 2 (heavyweight)
Bryce Mitchell vs Kron Gracie (featherweight)
Nate Landwehr vs Dooho Choi (featherweight)
Prelims
Dominick Reyes vs Anthony Smith (light-heavyweight)
Vicente Luque vs Themba Gorimbo (welterweight)
Movsar Evloev vs Aljamain Sterling (featherweight)
Randy Brown vs Bryan Battle (welterweight)
Early prelims
Chris Weidman vs Eryk Anders (catchweight, 195lb)
Cody Durden vs Joshua Van (flyweight)
Michael Chiesa vs Max Griffin (welterweight)
Clay Guida vs Chase Hooper (lightweight)
Kennedy Nzechukwu vs Lukasz Brzeski (heavyweight)
UFC 310 card in full as Kai Asakura fights Alexandre Pantoja
UFC 310 LIVE: How to watch fights tonight
Saturday 7 December 2024 22:00 , Alex Pattle
The card will air live on TNT Sports in the UK, with the broadcaster’s app and website also streaming the fights. Discovery+ will also air the action in the UK. In the US, ESPN+ will stream the event live, as will the UFC’s Fight Pass.
If you want to stream major sporting events while you are travelling or watching from abroad you’ll need a VPN. Get the best VPN deals in the UK. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.
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How to watch UFC 310 online and on TV
UFC 310: When do fights start in UK and US?
Saturday 7 December 2024 21:45 , Alex Pattle
UFC 310 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas tonight.
The early prelims are due to begin at 11pm GMT (3pm PT, 5pm CT, 6pm ET), with the regular prelims following at 1am GMT on Sunday (5pm PT, 7pm CT, 8pm ET on Saturday).
The main card is then set for 3am GMT on Sunday (7pm PT, 9pm CT, 10pm ET on Saturday).
What time does UFC 310 start in UK and US?
UFC 310 LIVE: Welcome!
Saturday 7 December 2024 21:29 , Alex Pattle
UFC 310 culminates in two huge fights tonight, as Shavkat Rakhmonov faces Ian Machado Garry before Alexandre Pantoja defends his flyweight belt against Kai Asakura.
Rakhmonov was due to challenge welterweight champion Belal Muhammad here, but the latter withdrew due to a bone infection, leading Machado Garry to step in. The unbeaten Irishman faces the unbeaten Kazakh – one of his former training partners – in a highly-anticipated bout, which will establish a No 1 contender at 170lb.
Then, the UFC 310 main event pits Pantoja against Asakura, who is challenging for gold in his promotional debut. Asakura previously reigned as Rizin’s bantamweight champion, and that pedigree sees him hit the ground running in the UFC.
Elsewhere on the card, former interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane faces Alexander Volkov in a rematch, while Aljamain Sterling and Chris Weidman are the other ex-title holders to feature in Las Vegas.
Follow live updates and results from the UFC 310 main card and prelims, right here.