5 fights to make following UFC 310: Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Asakura
UFC 310: Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Asakura went down this weekend in Las Vegas. The final pay-per-view event of 2024 ensured the year ended with a bang.
The event featured a lot of excellent fights, so what's next for the event's big winners?
As always, the matchmakers have the power in their hands, although for some fighters, the path is obvious.
Here are five fights to make following UFC 310: Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Asakura.
#5 UFC featherweight bout: Movsar Evloev vs. Yair Rodriguez
A number of fighters were looking to keep hold of an unbeaten record at UFC 310, and Movsar Evloev managed to pull it off. He edged out former bantamweight champ Aljamain Sterling to take his overall ledger to 19-0, picking up one of the biggest wins of his career.
The only issue Evloev has had is with finishing his opponents, as every single one of his nine wins in the octagon has gone the distance.
Realistically, the Russian could easily lay claim to a title shot now, but without those exciting finishes, it won't happen.
Therefore, the perfect foe for him could be Yair Rodriguez. 'El Pantera' is aggressive and reckless to a fault, and he's also still ranked ahead of Evloev in the No.4 spot.
It's highly likely Rodriguez would go hell for leather against the Russian, and if the fight were a five-rounder too, it's hard to see how it would go the distance.
A big win over the Mexican could set up Evloev for a title shot, so this would work for a Fight Night headliner in early 2025.
#4. UFC featherweight bout: Doo Ho Choi vs. Dan Ige
The resurgent Doo Ho Choi picked up his second win in a row at UFC 310, and it was an impressive one.
'The Korean Superboy' shut down the tough Nate Landwehr, and eventually opened up on him from a mounted crucifix to take a third round stoppage win.
Choi is older now at the age of 33, but looks more poised and less wild than he once did, meaning he still has the potential to attempt another climb to the top.
Therefore, a good opponent for him to face next could be No.14 ranked Dan Ige, another renowned brawler.
'50k' has lost his last two bouts, but he took both Diego Lopes and Lerone Murphy the distance, and that's not easy in itself. The Hawaiian remains one of the toughest fighters out there at 145 pounds.
Could the new, improved Choi dispatch him, then? Or would he slip back into his old ways and be drawn into a dirty firefight, something that could favor Ige? Either way, this would be an excellent fight to watch.
#3. UFC heavyweight bout: Ciryl Gane vs. Alexander Volkov
UFC 310's most controversial bout came between heavyweights Ciryl Gane and Alexander Volkov.
The fight - a rematch of a 2021 bout that Gane won comfortably - was close throughout, but when it went the distance, it felt like Volkov had done enough to gain revenge.
Two of the three judges decided otherwise, though, and scored the bout 29-28 for Gane, giving 'Bon Gamin' a largely questionable win.
Given the nature of the fight, the only fair thing to do is probably to book a rematch, preferably over five rounds, to let the two big men finally find out who the better fighter is.
Sure, it would've been easier had one of them simply won impressively - particularly Gane, as he'd be a fresh challenger for Tom Aspinall.
That wasn't the case, though, so the only answer should be a trilogy fight between the two. The UFC will need headliners for their Fight Night events in early 2025, and this would be perfect for one of them.
#2. UFC flyweight title: Alexandre Pantoja vs. Brandon Royval
It was hard not to be wowed by flyweight kingpin Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 310. He choked debutant Kai Asakura out cold, putting an end to the Japanese star's hype train, and in doing so, defended his title successfully again.
'The Cannibal' has quietly built quite the resume, as this was his third title defense in just over a year.
So who should be next for him? There's only one answer, really, and that's No.1 ranked contender Brandon Royval.
Sure, Pantoja defeated 'Raw Dawg' in their first title fight last December, and already had a previous win over him, but that doesn't matter.
Royval has looked fantastic in his last two wins over Brandon Moreno and Tatsuro Taira, and realistically, there's no other valid challenger for Pantoja right now.
Based on how good he looked last night, 'The Cannibal' would be favored to win, but there's nothing wrong with him building a legacy, so this fight is the only one that makes sense.
#1. UFC welterweight title: Belal Muhammad vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov
The big fight to make coming out of UFC 310 is, of course, the fight that was initially meant to headline last weekend's event.
That fight is the welterweight title clash between champ Belal Muhammad and top contender Shavkat Rakhmonov.
'Nomad' should've fought for the title on Saturday, but with Muhammad sidelined with a bone infection, he was instead matched with a fellow unbeaten star in Ian Machado Garry.
Garry pushed the Kazakh fighter hard, but in the end, Rakhmonov had just too much for him, and edged out a five round decision. It was the first time he'd ever gone the distance in his career.
So can Rakhmonov now reach his goal and claim the title from Muhammad? It won't be easy, as 'Remember the Name' is incredibly tough, has powerful wrestling and insane cardio.
However, it's hard to shake the idea that Rakhmonov is the uncrowned champion at 170 pounds, and so hopefully the UFC gives him the chance to prove that in the first part of 2025.