A 14-fight card at UFC 310 in Las Vegas was headlined by a singular flyweight title battle between UFC champion Alexandre Pantoja and former two-time RIZIN champion Kai Asakura. In the co-main occasion, Shavkat Rakhmonov earned his title shot towards Belal Muhammad along with his win over Ian Machado Garry. Can anybody dangle with Pantoja? Will Rakhmonov be a favourite over Muhammad? To make sense of all of it, Jeff Wagenheim, Brett Okamoto and Andreas Hale provide their last takeaways on an action-packed evening of fights in Vegas.
Pantoja lacks friends, however flyweight GOAT?
Take a take a look at an inventory of reigning UFC champions, and select the three who’ve had the very best run with the belt. Islam Makhachev in all probability will come to thoughts, since he has reigned at light-weight since 2022. The subsequent champ to quote doubtless can be Alex Pereira, who has made three defenses at gentle heavyweight in precisely a 12 months.
After that? It’s obtained to be Alexandre Pantoja. The males’s flyweight titleholder’s second-round submission over Kai Asakura in the principle occasion of UFC 310 enabled Pantoja to affix Makhachev and Pereira as the one present champs with not less than three defenses.
Pantoja, who’s No. 5 in the ESPN pound-for-pound rankings, needed to take care of Asakura’s wild aggression early on. However, as soon as he found out his challenger — which took perhaps half a spherical — he took full management and cruised the remainder of the best way. By the time the primary spherical ended, Pantoja had landed greater than twice as many important strikes as Asakura (31 to fifteen). And when Round 2 started and the champ initiated a clinch early on, he deftly used it to leap on Asakura’s again, take him down, lock in a physique triangle and shortly safe a rear-naked choke that ended it at 2:05 of the spherical.
But Pantoja’s job was not executed. He nonetheless needed to do what champions are anticipated to do: Call out his subsequent challenger. The drawback is, Pantoja has overwhelmed ESPN’s No. 2 flyweight, Brandon Royval, twice. He has defeated the No. 3 man, Brandon Moreno, thrice. Pantoja hasn’t confronted Kai Kara-France, however the fourth-ranked 125-pounder has misplaced two of his final three fights. And No. 5 Muhammad Mokaev is nowhere to be discovered — the UFC let the undefeated Russian’s contract run out in the course of the summer time.
So Pantoja known as out one other man who’s now not within the UFC — the one whom he had simply tied for many UFC wins at flyweight, with 13. “This is one thing for you, Demetrious Johnson,” he stated in his postfight interview. “I’m the GOAT in right here, and if you wish to show you are the GOAT, come again.”
Johnson, who retired this year as a One Championship titlist, has nothing to show to Pantoja or anyone else. “Mighty Mouse” ruled the UFC’s flyweight division from 2012 to 2018 — a reign of two,142 days, second-longest in UFC historical past. Johnson made a document 11 consecutive title defenses. Pantoja is nowhere close to being the 125-pound GOAT.
But Pantoja does rule right this moment’s flyweight division to such an extent that the UFC needed to attain throughout the Pacific Ocean to discover a challenger, one who hadn’t even fought at 125 for over seven years. Now what? Can anybody who’s nonetheless within the UFC — or in all of MMA — compete with this man? — Wagenheim
It’s a brand new period at welterweight
This has been coming — and after UFC 310, there is not any denying it. A brand new era has taken over the division. For the longest, welterweight has been dominated by the identical, small group of names. Kamaru Usman. Colby Covington. Leon Edwards. Jorge Masvidal. Stephen Thompson. That group had its time, and it was a really memorable period. But until one among them can flip the clock again in a giant method, it is over. And even when Usman pulls off a significant upset within the close to future, or Covington can discover a approach to cease Joaquin Buckley‘s momentum on Dec. 14, it is nonetheless usually over. The torch has been handed.
Shavkat Rakhmonov is the true deal in each sense of the phrase, and Ian Machado Garry proved he’s as effectively by taking two of 5 rounds towards him on Saturday. My guess is these two will battle once more sooner or later. And they will each ultimately battle Jack Della Maddalena as a result of he is additionally part of this new period. Saturday was a glimpse of the following 5 years at welterweight. Rakhmonov is barely 30. Machado Garry is 27. Della Maddalena is 28. The aforementioned Buckley is 30. Carlos Prates, one other identify shortly asserting itself within the division, is 31. You virtually really feel a little bit bit for the defending champion, Belal Muhammad, as a result of he can be tasked with taking over these younger fighters, relatively than profit from big-name fights with the earlier period.
This is nothing towards any of the veterans, by the best way. They’re all nonetheless able to profitable a giant battle. But in addition they had their time, had their rivalries and all fought one another a number of occasions. It was a implausible time for the welterweight division. Add Tyron Woodley to that blend as effectively, who fought Usman, Covington and Thompson twice. We obtained all the fights we needed out of that class. Now the highlight turns to the one we’re seeing this month. — Okamoto
The widening class hole at heavyweight
Ciryl Gane gained a slender choice over Alexander Volkov, firmly entrenching the Frenchman because the UFC’s No. 2 ranked heavyweight. However, as a result of controversial nature of the consequence, it solely reaffirmed the gulf-wide hole between Jon Jones, Tom Aspinall and the remainder of the heavyweights.
And that might current an actual drawback in some unspecified time in the future.
Gane has gained two consecutive fights since being steamrolled by Jon Jones in 2023. Yet, it is exhausting to consider that Gane would current an actual menace to both Jones or Aspinall, ought to he be subsequent in line for a title alternative. As for Volkov, whereas many thought he did sufficient to win the battle, the result’s the consequence, and it’s his second loss to Gane. Before shedding to Gane at UFC 310, Volkov had gained 4 consecutive fights, along with his final loss coming within the first spherical to the present interim champion, Aspinall.
The division is in determined want of latest blood. Fortunately, with Jones competing every year, they’ve time to construct some new contenders. However, because it stands, the present crop of high 10 heavyweights would not have quite a lot of constructive momentum to create a reputable opponent for whoever the undisputed champion finally ends up being in 2025.
There will must be some turnover within the heavyweight division sooner relatively than later if there’s hope to shut the hole as a result of the present group is getting old out. Unless a brand new contender bursts onto the scene, this may doubtless be a division dominated by both Jones or Aspinall for the following 24 months. — Hale
