5 undercard fighters who could steal the show at UFC 310
This weekend sees UFC 310 go down from Las Vegas. This event is the last pay-per-view of 2024, and it looks stacked.
UFC 310: Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Asakura has a deep lineup, which means that there are plenty of undercard fighters looking to shine. So which of these athletes could steal the show? On a big event like this, there are definitely a number of viable options.
Here are five undercard fighters who could steal the show at UFC 310.
#5. Chase Hooper - UFC lightweight
UFC 310 is such a loaded card that even the early preliminary bouts feature some big names, including a former champion in Chris Weidman and a two-time headliner in Michael Chiesa.
One of the more intriguing fights, though, pits longtime lightweight veteran Clay Guida against prospect Chase Hooper, and the latter will definitely be looking to steal the show.
Still only 25 years old, 'The Dream' debuted back in 2019 at the age of just 20. While it was clear he had plenty of talent, he was perhaps too raw to compete at the top.
Since then, though, Hooper has gradually improved his skills. He's still a very dangerous grappler, but he now looks bigger and stronger, and his striking has gotten better, too.
'The Dream' will come into this bout on a three-fight win streak, with two of those wins coming via finish. If he can finish off the durable Guida - as he did in their 2022 grappling match, when he tapped him with a calf slicer - then he could well steal the show this weekend.
#4. Bryan Battle - UFC welterweight
If you rewind back to 15 years ago, there's no chance that a TUF champion would've been hidden away on a pay-per-view undercard as Bryan Battle is at UFC 310.
Times change, though, and despite his reality show win in 2021, 'The Butcher' is coming into this weekend's event largely under the radar.
There's no doubt, though, that Battle has the ability to steal the show. Right now, he's on a four-fight unbeaten streak, and overall, he's won six of his eight octagon bouts, with one going to a no contest.
More impressively, 'The Butcher' has been finishing off his foes in entertaining fashion too. Most recently, he dispatched Kevin Jousset violently and was then happy to embrace a role as a villain in front of Jousset's home fans in France.
This weekend will see Battle face his toughest test to date. Randy Brown is a very dangerous fighter who has lost just once in his last eight bouts, and he's been on the cusp of the rankings for some time.
The way that Battle fights, though, will be hard for 'Rude Boy' to handle. If the TUF 29 winner can bring the heat once again and finish Brown, then he could well steal the show, and win his fourth performance bonus in the process.
#3. Nate Landwehr - UFC featherweight
There are few fighters who, win or lose, have the ability to steal the show every time they compete in the UFC. Nate Landwehr, who faces Dooho Choi in this weekend's main card opener, is one of them.
'Nate the Train' arrived in the promotion in 2020 with the reputation of an exciting brawler, and it's fair to say that he has definitely lived up to those expectations.
Sure, he hasn't always won his fights - his overall record of 5-3 is patchy to say the least - but every time he's stepped into the octagon, he's been able to entertain.
Landwehr has claimed a total of four performance bonuses, including three in his last three wins. He's also proven to be capable of finishing foes by both knockout and submission.
To add to this, though, Landwehr has the sort of unique charisma - like Derrick Lewis - that can allow him to steal the show on the microphone after a fight, too.
If 'Nate the Train' can win this weekend in his trademark wild fashion, he could be the man everyone's talking about come next week.
#2. Aljamain Sterling - UFC featherweight
UFC 310 is an absolutely loaded event, but fans have still been left a little confused about the bout order. Most notably, former bantamweight kingpin Aljamain Sterling has curiously been left on the preliminary card for his bout with the unbeaten Movsar Evloev.
In some ways, it's an understandable move. Evloev has not been all that entertaining to watch despite his lengthy winning streak, and it's likely that the fights between Nate Landwehr and Doo Ho Choi and Bryce Mitchell and Kron Gracie might be a lot of fun.
However, Sterling probably has a right to feel aggrieved with his placement, even if he shrugged it off in a recent interview.
'Funk Master' is arguably the UFC's greatest-ever bantamweight, and in his featherweight debut against the tough Calvin Kattar, he looked genuinely excellent.
What makes him most likely to steal the show this weekend, though, is that he seems genuinely fired up for this fight, even moreso because he's been placed on the prelims.
Historically, Sterling has produced his best performances when the pressure has been on, or when he's been written off by observers - both of which apply to this fight.
If he can find a way to become the first man to ever defeat Evloev, then there's no doubt that he'll steal the show, and more importantly, it could net him a featherweight title shot.
#1. Ciryl Gane - UFC heavyweight
The UFC's heavyweight division is in a curious position leading into 2025, largely because it's questionable whether champion Jon Jones will actually look to take on interim champ Tom Aspinall in a unification bout.
Assuming, for a second, that 'Bones' decides to hang his gloves up rather than fight the Brit, Aspinall will need a top contender, quickly.
Perhaps the biggest name that comes instantly to mind, then, is former interim champ Ciryl Gane. 'Bon Gamin' was easily beaten by Jones in their 2023 clash, but the French striker is still hugely dangerous, as he showed in his win over Serghei Spivac last year.
Gane has been on the shelf since then, but will return at UFC 310 this weekend to face off with Alexander Volkov. The Frenchman eased past 'Drago' in a largely dull fight back in 2021, but there's arguably more on the line here.
If 'Bon Gamin' can score a nasty finish over the Russian, then he could well move himself to the front of the queue for that potential shot at Aspinall next year.
Gane is more than capable of such things, and outside of his losses to Jones and Francis Ngannou, he's tended to deliver in the clutch moments.
Therefore, if the Frenchman can score a violent knockout this weekend, he could well steal the show and re-launch himself back up the ladder in the process.