UFC 310 Recap
2024 just saw its last UFC pay-per-view this past weekend. Once again, the UFC returned home to the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for UFC 310. The card itself consisted of fourteen bouts, nine of which resulted in a finish. It was a very entertaining night of fights with some questionable judging too. While it may be obvious what’s next for all of the UFC 310 winners, it’s not so clear what the future has in store for all of the losing fighters. With some incredible performances just falling short, let’s talk about some future fights for the UFC 310 losers!
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 07: Kai Asakura of Japan winces in pain after his loss by technical submission in the second round of a flyweight title fight during UFC 310 at T-Mobile Arena on December 07, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images)
Kai Asakura
Kai Asakura made his UFC debut this past weekend while at the same time, challenged for Alexandre Pantoja’s flyweight championship. Asakura cements himself as the fourth fighter in UFC history to fight for a title in their debut. Before joining the UFC, Asakura had built up an impressive 21-4 professional MMA record. He came into this championship fight riding a two fight win streak, both by knockout.
The first order of business if placing a rank next to Asakura’s name (rankings updates Tuesday morning). Pantoja finihsed and dominated Asakura, not leaving the best first impression amongst the rankings panel. Now that Asakura’s fighting in the UFC, many factors have changed. Different country, different fans, different ruleset, different division/weight, no more ring setting, etc. Seeing how Pantoja handled him, it might be best to allow Asakura to build himself up against established UFC flyweights, specifically the ones in the middle to lower portions of the top fifteen. There’s still lots of answers we need before he fights anyone in the top five again.
Future Fights
- Charles Johnson
- Tatsuro Taira
- Manel Kape
Manel Kape
There are plenty of great fights for Kai Asakura to make his UFC sophomore appearance in. One fight that comes to mind is a rematch against Manel Kape. Asakura and Kape have fought twice before in RIZIN, holding a 1-1 record against each other. Both fighters are coming off of recent losses to top ranked UFC flyweights. The perfect bounce back fight for each fighter might just be a high stakes trilogy against each other, this time with UFC title implications on the line.
Tatsuro Taira
An interesting fight to make would be pitting two Japanese superstars against each other. Asakura introduced himself to the world this past weekend at UFC 310 but was already a mega-star in Japan before jumping promotions. A fellow Japanese superstar has also established himself in the UFC’s flyweight division as Tatsuro Taira also looks for his next dance partner after his UFC loss. Both with massive star power, both with tons of skill/potential, this might be the best fight to make at flyweight. Imagine the scenes with a Asakura vs Taira headlined UFC Fight Night in Japan!
Charles Johnson
Another potential fight for Asakura is #13 ranked flyweight, Charles Johnson. “InnerG” had a very successful 2024 and showed his progression as an athlete in all four of his successful UFC outings. Johnson put together some great performances and really impressed the MMA community. Asakura vs Johnson would make sense because of Asakura’s ability as a striker. Johnson has proved his defense against great strikers and has never been knocked out before.
With Johnson’s four fight win streak in mind, this could be a very exciting opportunity for Asakura to show the world how great he really is. Johnson is a great candidate who will be able to give Asakura a true test while also serving as an equal opponent. This fight would be a true test as to how Kai Asakura stacks up inside the flyweight division.
Ian Machado Garry
Ian Machado Garry made a very respectable decision by scrapping his original fight against Joaquin Buckley in order to take on Shavkat Rakhmonov a week earlier at UFC 310. Many expected Rakhmonov to steamroll over Garry, but ultimately the fight ended in a very close decision going Shavkat’s way. Garry not only held his own, but he also had Rakhmonov in danger and brought the fight to the favorite, only further impressing fans.
While Rakhmonov will more than likely fight Belal Muhammad next for the welterweight belt, there are plenty of other options available for Ian Garry to fight next. Joaquin Buckley vs Ian Garry goes down this weekend at UFC Tampa and depending on how this fight goes down, Garry could very well have his next opponent figured out. This loss wasn’t a step back for Garry, his next opponent should reflect that.
Future Fights
- Colby Covington
- Joaquin Buckley
- Stephen Thompson
Colby Covington or Joaquin Buckley
The most plausible next matchup for Garry would be the winner of Joaquin Buckley vs Colby Covington this weekend at UFC Tampa. Right now, Buckley is ranked #9 and Covington is ranked #6. If Buckley can get it done, it will be 6 in a row for him.
Buckley has recorded three huge knockouts as of late and in the end, Buckley vs Garry was already scheduled as both men had been preparing for each other. As far as rankings and title contention, this fight would also make sense.
If we see a different Colby Covington this weekend and he gets his hand raised, Garry will then have a former interim champion and multiple time title challenger fresh off a big victory over the rising Buckley. No matter the outcome, the winner of this week’s UFC Tampa main-event sets up a great fight for Garry. Given that there are no injuries, the timelines should be set up very perfectly too.
Stephen Thompson
An exciting fight for Garry could be the legendary Stephen Thompson. Every up and coming fighter, especially ones like Garry, dream to fight guys like “Wonderboy”. Stylistically, this fight would make for lots of exciting exchanges on the feet. Thompson has been known as an elite striker in the welterweight division since his UFC debut when he won with a monstrous head kick.
As of now, Thompson is ranked #10 in the division. He last suffered a knockout loss at the hands of Joaquin Buckley at UFC 307. Garry could be an exciting fight for Thompson when he makes his return as Thompson will be looking to prove that he can still hang with the best of the division. Winning a striking battle against Garry would be absolute fireworks for the fans, and would prove that Thompson still belongs. As for Garry, this fight could have plenty of value because of the name, the striking challenge, etc. Garry already tested his hands against Michael Venom Page and his ground game tested against Shavkat, so why not go to battle with the legend in Stephen Thompson?
Aljamain Sterling
Aljamain Sterling made his second walk as a UFC featherweight to the Octagon at UFC 310 to take on a on a tough, undefeated Russian fighter in Movsar Evloev. The unmatched Greco-Roman wrestling abilities of Evloev prevailed in rounds two and three, earning him the unanimous decision victory over Sterling. Despite the loss, Aljamain Sterling once again put up a very tough fight and showed the benefits of fighting one weight class higher.
Prior to his loss at UFC 310, Aljamain Sterling said that he “wanted to prove a point” versus Evloev. Although he wasn’t able to get the victory, Sterling showed that he can hang with the best in the division. His next opponent should be another top ranked UFC featherweight. There is nothing to indicate that Sterling is out of the FW title picture yet and his next fight should be another that can advance him towards the top.
Future Fights
- Giga Chikadze
- Dan Ige
- Bryce Mitchell
Giga Chikadze
A potential fight for Sterling could be against Giga Chikadze. Both men will be very hungry to bounce back from rather close decision losses and Chikadze would be a good fight for Sterling as he looks to find his stride since moving up to featherweight. Chikadze has maintained his status in the top fifteen for quite a while and has never been finished in the UFC. This fight would feature two highly skilled veterans of the sport and make for a fun, entertaining fight inside the top-fifteen.
Dan Ige
How cool would it be to see Dan Ige fight against Aljamain Sterling at some point?! Ige last faced off against Lerone Murphy and found himself on the short end of a decision. Given the legendary careers that Sterling and Ige have both put together, it almost feels right for this matchup to happen. Combined, these two men have walked to the UFC octagon thirty-nine times! Both fighters have accomplished so much and have proven that no matter who they fight, they will always bring it. This one has FOTN written all over it.
Bryce Mitchell
Another fighter who was victorious at UFC 310 was Bryce Mitchell. Sterling and Mitchell would make for some insane grappling scrambles. It would be very interesting to see how Sterling would prepare for Mitchell. Kron Gracie was the first fighter to ever get knocked out by Mitchell. When Gracie pulled guard once again in round three, Mitchell made him pay for it. Obviously, we’d see more from the former-champion in Sterling but it would be very interesting to see a mixture of the striking and grappling from Sterling if he were to take on Mitchell.
We also know that Sterling was fearless and trusted his weapons in the Evloev fight, taking him down multiple times which was surprising to many. He entered a world that not many wish to, willingly bringing the fight to the ground with the still-undefeated Evloev. It would be interesting to see how Sterling would approach a fight against Bryce Mitchell, who has equal grappling pedigree.
Stay tuned to see what’s next for these promising fighters. When you open up our website here at Home of Fight, one of the fight things you see is the slogan, “the fight never ends”. These fighters may be facing some adversity right now but rest assured, each of these talented mixed martial artists will soon be back, guns a-blazing, looking to bounce back in dominant fashion. Let’s see what’s next!
