The final UFC PPV of the year has its main, co-main, and PPV card in place.
With only a few suitable options to headline the card, the UFC has put together a strong show with two championship bouts. In the main event, UFC welterweight Belal Muhammad will defend his title against the undefeated Shavkat Rahkmonov.
The challenger is a perfect 18-0 with finishes in each fight. Muhammad, who defeated Leon Edwards to win the title in July, isn’t taking an extended rest before taking his first defense.
In the co-main event, Alexandre Pantoja will defend his title against Japanese newcomer Kai Asakura.
The latter is making his promotional debut after gaining fame fighting in Japan his entire career.
Here is a look at White’s announcement.
Here is a look at the entire UFC 310 card.
Main Event:
- Belal Muhammad (c) vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov for the UFC Welterweight Championship
Co-Main Event:
- Alexandre Pantoja (c) vs. Kai Asakura for the UFC Flyweight Championship
Other Fights:
- Ciryl Gane vs. Alexander Volkov (Heavyweight)
- Movsar Evloev vs. Aljamain Sterling (Featherweight)
- Anthony Smith vs. Dominick Reyes (Light Heavyweight)
- Tatiana Suarez vs. Virna Jandiroba (Women’s Strawweight)
- Chase Hooper vs. Clay Guida (Lightweight)
- Nick Diaz vs. Vicente Luque (Welterweight)
There are only eight confirmed fights here, so there is a good chance we will see more fights signed. As many as four more bouts could be added. As it is, the card already has potentially five fights scheduled with title implications.
The winner of Gane-Volkov will likely get the next shot at the heavyweight title after Tom Aspinall. When UFC 310 rolls around, this fight could be a No. 1 contender match. If the winner of Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic retires after UFC 309, Aspinall will be elevated to undisputed champion.
That would make the Gane-Volkov winner his No. 1 contender–unless Alex Pereira moves up to heavyweight to challenge Aspinall.
Movsar Evloev could make a strong case for a title shot if he beats Sterling. While Diego Lopes is currently ranked higher, he lost to Evloev in May 2023. If nothing else, the two men should rematch to see who is ranked higher.
Alexander Volkanovski is still the No. 1 contender, and he could get the next shot at the title–mainly if Ilia Topuria retains his belt against Max Holloway at UFC 308 on October 26.
Tatiana Suarez has been the No. 1 contender for Weili Zhang’s strawweight title for a while. She has been out with an injury. If she can defeat Virna Jandiroba and remain healthy, that’s the next fight for Weili.
The return of Nick Diaz is more about the show than substance. The Diaz brothers still carry a mystique, and fans buy-in. The placement of the Diaz-Vicente Luque fight is strong on a well-enforced card.
The rest of UFC 310 could be filled with main-roster debuts from fighters who earned their contracts early in Season 8 of the Dana White Contender Series. Keep an eye out for Mansur Abdul-Malik and Lone’er Kavanagh.
Both men made a noteworthy splash in episode 1 with KO wins to start the season.
