UFC310 was in Las Vagas, at the T-Mobile arena in Paradise, Nevada. For the UFC’s third visit in 2024.
This event t saw many changes, with no less than seven fight changes from the announced card and one new fight added.
The event had 14 fights, with only five going the distance and nine early stoppages.
TOP PERFORMER: ALEXANDRE PANTOJA
The UFC flyweight champion put himself firmly in the p4p conversation with a thrilling second-round finish over Kai Asakura, the Japanese bantamweight champion in the Rizen organisation.
Some may say Asakura froze in his debut, but he came with a big reputation and even bigger punching power. However, Pantajoa showed dominance and experience, taking the fight to Asakura.
After a big first round, in the second, that dominance was too much as he took him to the ground and locked him in a tight choke to put the Japanese fighter out for a third defence of his flyweight title and a seventh straight win.
TOP PERFORMER 2: VINCENT LUQUE
After a late change from expecting a big name fight with Nick Diaz, to a dangerous up and comer, although it was a pipe dream for Nick to return. Vincent did not allow that to trouble him at all.
Luque made light work of his tough Zimbabwean opponent, Themba Gorimbo, who had previously won his last four fights. But Luque had other ideas, chasing the record for finishes in the welterweight division, which stands at 15.
In less than a minute, Luque got his 14th finish, dropping Gorimbo with short right, then jumping on him instantly and showing strength to put him to sleep with an anaconda choke.
TOP PERFORMER 3: KENNEDY NZECHUKWU
The Nigerian opened the card with a thrilling first-round knockout out of Lukasz Brzeski.
In his second fight back at heavyweight after moving up from light heavyweight, where he clearly struggled at the weight and lost two in a row. It is now two wins at heavyweight.
Nzechukwu closed the show with a devastating left hook that crumbled Brzeski. He followed it up with some shots to the ground, forcing the ref to stop the fight, but the damage was already done.
Honourable Mentions
Choi Doo-Ho had a statement win against Nate Landwehr, who had only lost to Dan Ige in his last five fights.
Choi started early and looked sharp on the feet. This continued in the second, where he showed improved grappling and takedown skills.
He finished the fight in the third, overwhelming Landwehr on the ground with elbows from a crucifix position.
Shavkat Rakhmonaov won the battle of the undefeated welterweights in a vital title eliminator.
Although it wasn’t the back-and-forth war we were all expecting and hoping for, it was a gruelling battle of attrition, where the man from Kazakhstan dug the deepest to come out with the victory.
He showed a vast array of skills, but mostly patience and determination to outlast Ian Garry for a close points decision.
Michael Chiesa got a surprise stoppage win over Max Griffin, a man who has lost two of his last seven to Michael Morales & Neil Magny.
Chiesa is a 14-year UFC veteran, still going strong in his 20th fight with the company and showed he still had a few tricks up his sleeve.
In a sapping battle, he managed to outlast his bigger opponent and use his superior grappling skills to lock in a rear-naked choke to get an impressive victory.
