5 fighters who cannot afford to lose at UFC 310
This weekend sees the final UFC pay-per-view of 2024. The event goes down from Las Vegas on Saturday.
UFC 310: Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Asakura features a stacked card, and as always, the pressure will be on a number of fighters competing.
Whether it's because their future with the promotion is on the line, or whether they're hunting for a potential title shot, for these fighters, losing is not an option.
Here are five fighters who cannot afford to lose at UFC 310.
#5 Shavkat Rakhmonov - UFC welterweight contender
Given that he is still undefeated and is considered one of the hottest contenders in the promotion, it's fair to say that Shavkat Rakhmonov's UFC future is not on the line this weekend.
However, 'The Nomad', who is set to co-headline this weekend's event, cannot really afford to lose if he wants to continue on his path to the top.
Rakhmonov was all set to fight Belal Muhammad for the welterweight title in the main event. But, with the champion sidelined, the native of Kazakhstan will now fight Ian Machado Garry.
To say that this is a difficult fight would be an understatement. Not only is Garry unbeaten, but his technical striking game will offer Rakhmonov a very different challenge to that posed by Muhammad.
Based on the path of destruction he's been on thus far, Rakhmonov may still be favored to win on Saturday. If he loses, though, he'll not only kiss goodbye to his unbeaten record, he'll also lose his title shot to Garry.
#4 Vicente Luque - UFC welterweight contender
Vicente Luque should probably be considered the most unlucky fighter set to compete at UFC 310.
'The Silent Assassin' was originally set to fight the legendary Nick Diaz in what would've been a huge opportunity for him.
Not only would Diaz have represented a beatable opponent, but his high-profile nature would've offered Luque the kind of spotlight that he doesn't usually tend to enjoy.
With Diaz out of action, though, the TUF 21 veteran is now set to fight a late-notice replacement in the form of Themba Gorimbo instead.
Gorimbo is largely unknown, but 'The Answer' is riding a four-fight win streak and is 4-1 overall in the UFC. Therefore, he's definitely a threat to Luque.
Given his experience advantage and overall skills, 'The Silent Assassin' ought to win here, and if he does that, then the Diaz fight might still be on the table.
If he loses, though, he'll not only tumble from the welterweight top fifteen, but he'll be 1-4 in his last five, bringing his future into question. Therefore, he must ensure that he wins.
#3 Kron Gracie - UFC featherweight contender
The UFC's earliest years were largely dominated by one fighter: the legendary Royce Gracie. However, it's fair to say that in the modern day, members of the Gracie family haven't looked too hot in the octagon.
The likes of Renzo, Rolles and Roger all struggled to make an impact, but in 2019, it looked like Kron Gracie could change that.
The son of the iconic Rickson Gracie, Kron made his octagon debut that February. Despite only having four professional fights to his name, he whitewashed veteran Alex Caceres, submitting him with a rear naked choke.
However, a fight with Cub Swanson later that year was too much of a step up, and he was comfortably beaten. Since then, Kron has only fought once, a largely forgettable loss to Charles Jourdain.
This weekend will see Gracie face off with Bryce Mitchell, and in many ways, it's a fight that could suit the Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace. 'Thug Nasty' is widely known for his grappling, with his striking usually viewed as a weakness.
If Gracie can win against Mitchell, he'd prove that he - and his family - are still relevant in modern-day MMA. Lose, though, and at the age of 36, it'd be hard to argue for him even sticking around.
#2 Ciryl Gane - former interim UFC heavyweight champion
Few fighters have seen their reputation slip over recent years quite so much as Ciryl Gane. Once considered the hottest fighter in the UFC's heavyweight division, he now feels like a forgotten man of sorts.
Sure, he's coming off a win over Serghei Spivac, but it's still hard to shake off the image of how easily he was beaten by Jon Jones in their title bout last year.
Ignoring that, though, 'Bon Gamin' is still one of the best big men on the roster. A win this weekend could easily propel him to a bout with interim champ Tom Aspinall, assuming Jones continues to avoid that fight.
However, he'll need to ensure he gets past Alexander Volkov first. Given that he beat 'Drago' relatively easily in their first fight, it should be straightforward.
Volkov, though, has changed his style slightly since then and is now far more aggressive than before. There's definitely the chance that he could pull off an upset.
If that does happen, Gane would be out of contention entirely and could easily slip into the role of a gatekeeper. If the Frenchman wants to avoid that, then he cannot lose this weekend.
#1 Chris Weidman - former UFC middleweight champion
It's almost certain that the fighter most in need of a win this weekend is former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman.
Not only has the 40-year-old won just once since 2020, but the circumstances around his bout with Eryk Anders make it even more of a must-win for him.
'The All-American' was set to fight 'Ya Boi' last month at UFC 309, only for the fight to be postponed due to Anders suffering from illness backstage.
In the weeks that have followed, Weidman has not been shy in complaining about the fact that he wasn't paid for the canceled bout. He has argued that he showed up in condition to compete, and therefore deserved at least his show money.
'The All-American' makes a fair point. However, it's always risky calling out the UFC, which remains somewhat volatile in terms of how it treats its fighters at times.
Essentially, if Weidman loses to Anders this weekend, it's easy to see a scenario in which Dana White and company would cut him from the roster, especially given his age and relatively poor form in recent years.
Therefore, if Weidman wants to remain on the roster going forward, it's highly likely that he cannot afford to suffer a loss to Anders in Las Vegas.