UFC 310 full card results: Alexandre Pantoja puts Kai Asakura to sleep, Shavkat Rakhmonov secures welterweight title shot

Daniel Yanofsky

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UFC 310 full card results: Alexandre Pantoja puts Kai Asakura to sleep, Shavkat Rakhmonov secures welterweight title shot image

Alexandre Pantoja successfully defended the UFC flyweight title for a third time, beating former Rizin bantamweight champion Kai Asakura at UFC 310.

The champion forced Asakura, making his UFC debut, to sleep in the second round. 

The fight was a semi-crossover contest, a rarity for the UFC. Asakura came into the fight confident and looked to end it immediately with a flying knee. However, Pantoja fought like he had something to prove, using a fast-paced style to land vicious strikes and scramble. He landed hard body kicks and forced himself on Asakura's back at one point. 

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The Brazilian got Asakura to the floor and locked in a rear-naked choke, putting him to sleep.

Pantoja has now won seven straight. While he has challengers, he called out Demetrious Johnson, who just retired, to come back and face him to determine the flyweight G.O.A.T.

Johnson was traded in 2018 to ONE for Ben Askren after clearing out the division. Pantoja also tied Johnson and Joseph Benavidez for most wins (13) in flyweight history.

Asakura's two-fight win streak came to an end following the loss.  

The co-main event saw the future in action in a UFC welterweight title eliminator. Shavkat Rakhmonov defeated Ian Machado Garry in a fight where both showcased their skills. Rakhmonov used heavy strikes, while Machado Garry worked well in the latter half of the contest. He fought out of Rakhmonov's takedown attempts early and almost even submitted the Kazakh at a few points. 

Rakhmonov remained undefeated after beating Machado Garry via unanimous decision, ending the Irish fighter's unbeaten record. He even broke his fight shorts, which required him to change mid-fight. That was thanks to elbows, a spinning backlist, and straight jabs to an open Machado Garry. 

The real winner was Belal Muhammad, the UFC welterweight champion. He was supposed to fight Rakhmonov before getting injured. Muhammad saw both men in action for over 25 minutes and may have thought of a game plan for Rakhmonov, who re-secured a title shot, while watching in the crowd.

Rakhmonov is ready to fulfil his destiny. Machado Garry earned the respect of others, proving he may be back in the title picture sooner than later.

One of the biggest shocks of the night was Ciryl Gane beating Alexander Volkov in a top contender heavyweight fight. Gane broke his toes during the fight and left the cage after being announced the winner, not happy with his performance. He landed solid takedowns, but Volkov looked sharp, landing a spinning backlist and several jabs. 

The last round saw Volkov attack Gane after the latter dropped the former to the floor but did not capitalize. Still, the French fighter won, earning his second straight win. Volkov's impressive four-fight win streak has ended.  

MORE: Bo Nickal reveals his list of potential next opponents

Bryce Mitchell and Kron Gracie had a placement on the card many thought should have gone to Movsar Evloev vs. Aljamain Sterling, a pure grappling classic. Until the third, many were right. However, Mitchell landed a vicious elbow on a downed Gracie, who tried to pull guard multiple times. 

Mitchell is now 2-2 in his last four fights, while Gracie has lost three straight. 

The main card opened with Doo Ho Choi coming out to "Going the Distance" from the "Rocky" soundtrack, while Nate Landwehr came out to "Back in Black" by AC/DC. It was meant to signify what could be a Fight of the Night contender. Instead, it was a complete performance from Choi, who dominated all aspects of the fight. 

Choi used solid wrestling, kicks, and punches to neutralize Landwehr, who had no answer, and the referee gave the former the TKO win. The South Korean has now won two straight and is 2-0-1 in his last three fights. 

The Sporting News provided results from the entire fight card!

UFC 310 full card results

Main Card

  • Alexandre Pantoja (c) def. Kai Asakura via rear-naked choke for the UFC flyweight title (2:05 into round two)
  • Shavkat Rakhmonov def. Ian Machado Garry via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)
  • Ciryl Gane def. Alexander Volkov via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Bryce Mitchell def. Kron Gracie via knockout (0:39 into round three)
  • Doo Ho Choi def. Nate Landwehr via TKO (3:21 into round three)

Prelims

  • Dominick Reyes def. Anthony Smith via TKO (4:46 into round two) 
  • Vicente Luque def. Themba Gorimbo via D'Arce choke (0:52 into round one)
  • Movsar Evloev def. Aljamain Sterling via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Bryan Battle def. Randy Brown via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

Early Prelims

  • Eryk Anders def. Chris Weidman via TKO (4:51 into round two)
  • Josha Van def. Cody Durden via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-26, 30-27)
  • Michael Chiesa def. Max Griffin via rear-naked choke (1:56 into round three)
  • Chase Hooper def. Clay Guida via armbar (3:41 into round one)
  • Kennedy Nzechukwu def. Lukasz Brzeski via TKO (4:51 into round one)

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Daniel Yanofsky

Daniel Yanofsky Photo

Daniel Yanofsky is the Combat Sports Editor for The Sporting News since late 2021. Prior to working for TSN, Daniel provided insight on combat sports for Fightful, FIGHT SPORTS, and Wrestling Inc. A proud Ithaca College alum, when he isn’t working on his golf game, Daniel is advocating for three-minute rounds in women's boxing.

You can follow him on Twitter via @DanYanofsky.