The UFC wraps up its 2024 pay-per-view schedule this Saturday in the T-Moblie Arena in Las Vegas with UFC 310. We get a compelling UFC Flyweight Championship fight in the main event and a #1 contender fight (what the UFC calls a “title eliminator” fight) in the co-main. Here are your UFC 310 predictions & best bets to make Saturday night profitable.
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UFC 310 Predictions & Best Bets
Alexandre Pantoja (-250) vs Kai Asakura
Despite the wide odds, the main event title fight is a very interesting one. Current UFC champ Alexandre Pantoja is probably the most overlooked champion in the promotion, but he has already successfully defended his 125-pound belt twice, turning away all challengers.
The interesting – and almost unheard of – angle here is Kai Asakura is making his UFC debut on Saturday, stepping directly into a title fight. A two-time Rizin champion in his native Japan, he is a semi-celebrity back home and the UFC’s latest stab at cracking the Japanese market. An explosive striker, he is both bigger and younger than Pantoja.
However, I expect Pantoja to turn away the incoming challenger with his solid all-around game and granite chin.
Shavkat Rakhmonov (-350) vs Ian Machado Garry
Two undefeated welterweight up-and-comers battle in the co-main event, with the winner expected to challenge champion Belal Muhammad next. Shavkat Rakhmonov was designated as the next man up before Muhammad got injured and pulled out of this card’s main event.
While Garry is calculated and safe in the cage, Rakhmonov is a berserker. With this fight scheduled for five rounds, I think that’s too much time in the danger zone for Garry – he can’t escape Rakhmonov’s lethal striking and grappling for that long before getting caught.
Ciryl Gane (-350) vs Alexander Volkov
Third from the top on Saturday is a heavyweight matchup between top contenders Ciryl Gane and Alexander Volkov. The problem here is we’ve already seen this fight back in 2021 when Gane won a five-round decision.
While Gane has shown no real progress in rounding out his MMA game, I still think he will beat Volkov again on Saturday. The Frenchman has shown the ability to stay elusive on the feet and has the speed advantage over the big Russian.
Aljamain Sterling (+215) vs Movsar Evloev
This is a very chalky event in my eyes, but I’m willing to take a stab at big underdog Aljamain Sterling in his featherweight prelim fight against the undefeated Movsar Evloev. The former bantamweight champion seems to be perennially underrated, and that could pay off for us this weekend.
Sterling is the better striker in this matchup in my opinion, and he’s made his mark in the UFC with his strong wrestling and grappling, which is what Evloev relies on to win fights. Worth a sprinkle at a payout over twice our bet.
Max Griffin (+100) vs Michael Chiesa
Max Griffin has inexplicably dipped into dog territory for his fight against Michael Chiesa, and I’m all for it. Chiesa is mostly a broadcaster at this point in his career, which is dangerous for a fighter.
Griffin is also way bigger and stronger than the former TUF champion, formerly fighting at middleweight while Chiesa has primarily been a lightweight throughout his career. Griffin should get the better of him on the feet.
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