The last UFC pay per view of 2024 featured a star-studded card packed with familiar faces and one new one. UFC newcomer Kai Asakura was submitted by Alexandre Pantoja in UFC flyweight championship main event. Ian Machado Garry lost his zero in the co-main event when he became the first man to take Rakhmonov the distance. UFC 310 boasted nine finishes on a 14-fight card with multiple former champions (on the undercard and the main card) left wondering where they go from here.
Kai Asakura
UFC flyweight champion, Alexandre Pantoja, gave Kai Asakura a not so friendly welcome to the promotion in the main event on Saturday. Asakura had a decent showing lasting until the second round before being submitted. It was decent introduction for the Japanese star to many North American fans. Asakura will likely be ranked #3-7 in the rankings when they are updated.
A logical next matchup for Asakura would be the winner of Bruno Silva vs. Manel Kape. The pair fight next weekend on the final promotional card of the year, UFC Tampa. Asakura has extensive history with Kape as the pair’s first matchup came in 2018. Kai won a split decision but on New Year’s Eve 2019 he was stopped by Manel in the second round of their RIZIN title fight. Kape is 4-3 with the UFC since joining in 2021 and is ranked at #9. Bruno Silva is ranked at #12 in the flyweight division. And Silva has been on a roll since 2021. Bruno has won four fights in the time period, finished all four opponents, and scored four bonuses. The winner of this fight would either line Asakura up for a high stake’s trilogy matchup or a fight with a streaking fighter on a 5-fight win streak.
Kai’s next fight: Winner of Manel Kape vs. Bruno Silva
Ian Machado Garry
Shavkat Rakhmonov edged out Ian Machado Garry in a unanimous decision in the co-main event of UFC 310 on Saturday. Though he suffered his first professional MMA defeat, Garry became the first pro fighter to go the distance with Rakhmonov. Shavkat entered this title eliminator bout ranked at #3 while Garry was ranked at #7 in the welterweight division.
Ian Garry has a little history with a lot of fighters. Garry has documented beef with long-time top ranked welterweight, Colby Covington. Ian was booked to fight Joaquin Buckley next week in the main event of UFC Tampa. However, Garry rebooked, and Buckley is now slated to fight Covington. Ian should get the winner of the UFC Tampa main event as it’s a win-win situation. All three fighters have mic skills, all three fighters can sell fights and either matchup would be a good matchup from a stylistic standpoint. It all works out.
Ian’s next fight: Winner of Joaquin Buckley vs. Colby Covington
Alexander Volkov
Cyril Gane edged out Alexander Volkov in a pivotal fight for the heavyweight division on Saturday. Many, including UFC brass, thought that the #3 ranked, Volkov, had done enough to secure the victory. Gane entered the fight ranked at #2 in the division. Volkov has fought nearly everyone at the top of the division, and some fighters twice.
A rematch nearly five years in the making with Curtis Blaydes could make sense. However, Volkov was also matched up with #6 ranked, Jailton Almeida, earlier this year. Volkov rebooked and ended up fighting Alexandr Romanov who he finished in the first round. While Volkov won a unaimous decision against Sergei Pavlovich a couple weeks later. Almedia is slated to fight #7 ranked Serghei Spivac at UFC 311 next month. The winner of that bout makes a little more sense as its fresh blood for Volkov either way.
Alexander’s next fight: Jailton Almeida vs Serghei Spivac winner
Kron Gracie
Bryce Mitchell brutally KO’d Kron Gracie in the final round of their bout on the main card of UFC 310. Gracie has now lost three fights in a row since beating Alex Caceres in his promotional debut in 2019. Though Mitchell entered the fight ranked at #13, this loss was horrible for Gracie’s stock thanks to inactivity and the brutality of the finish.
Kron’s next fight should be against a guy like Jonathan Pearce. Jonathan shares a lot of commonalities with Gracie at the moment. Both men are on a three-fight losing streak. Though Pearce didn’t fight Bryce, he was matched up to fight him in 2023. But he had to pull out due to injury. Pearce was last in action back in October when he was submitted via rear naked choke. Loser of this bout should be on the short list to be cut from the promotion.
Kron’s next fight: Jonathan Pearce
Nate Landwehr
Doo-Ho Choi turned in a nearly flawless performance to start off the main card of UFC 310 with his third-round TKO of Nate Landwehr. Nate has now gone 2-2 in his last four fights but in both of his wins scored finishes and bonuses.
Landwehr is both brash and entertaining so a fight with another dangerous striker would be favorable. Nate should fight Julio Arce in his next bout. Arce was last in the cage against Herbert Burns back in March when he stopped his foe in the second round. Julio fights full throttle much like Landwehr but has had issues with weight cutting as he has come up from the bantamweight division and missed weight multiple times. At 6-4 in the UFC with wins over Dan Ige and a finish of Julian Erosa, Arce fun-to-watch, wildcard.
Nate’s next fight: Julio Arce
