Alexandre Pantoja will meet Kai Asakura in the main event of UFC 310. Pantoja is the current Flyweight champion and the -260 betting favorite to win the fight. The fight with Asakura is Pantoja’s third defense of his title. We tell you who to get your money on when we name our UFC betting picks.
The UFC often saves the best to last, and their 2024 end-of-year card is set to be no different. UFC 310 is the final pay-per-view event of 2024, with the action taking place at the T-Mobile Arena on Saturday night.
The main event is between Alexandre Pantoja and Kai Asakura. The two will meet in a five-round fight for Pantoja’s Flyweight title. But also on a stacked undercard are Ciryl Gane (-350) vs. Alexander Volkov (+275), and Shavkat Rakhmonov (-400) vs. Ian Machado Garry (+300).
Below we look ahead to the main event between Pantoja and Asakura, starting with the betting to win the fight.
Alexandre Pantoja is the favorite in the latest UFC Vegas betting odds.
On the money line, Pantoja is -275 to defend his title successfully for a third time. The bookmakers have Kai Asakura at +225 to win his debut fight in the organization.
On the total lines, the fight is -135 to last over 2.5 rounds and +105 to finish in under 2.5 rounds.
More betting options from our recommended UFC betting sites can be found on our odds table.
Known as the Cannibal, Alexandre Pantoja has a mixed martial arts record of 28-5. In the UFC his record reads 12-3.
A Jiu-Jitsu black belt and good all-around fighter, ten of Pantoja’s victories have come by submission, ten by decision, and eight by KO. All five of his losses have come by decision.
Pantoja lost three of his first nine fights within the promotion, but the 34-year-old Brazilian has since found his range within the organization and is now on a six-fight winning streak.
Pantoja won the Flyweight title at UFC 290 in July 2023. The Cannibal came out on the right side of a split decision win over Brandon Moreno, also picking up the Performance of the Night award.
He has since successfully defended his title twice. First, he saw off the challenge of Brandon Rovyal at UFC 296, winning by unanimous decision. This was followed by another unanimous decision win, this time over Steve Erceg at UFC 301 in May of this year.
Alexandre Pantoja is a solid performer. He has great cardio, allowing him to keep the same pace for the full five rounds. His relentless pace often wears down his opponents, leading to his multiple submission wins, and also catching the judges’ eyes on fights that go the distance.
He averages 4.41 significant strikes per minute, with a 49% accuracy rate. Pantoja’s striking defense is 50% percent, and he absorbs 3.97 significant shots per minute. Pantoja averages 2.61 takedowns per 15 minutes, with a success rate of 47% His takedown defense is 68%.
Kai Asakura has a mixed martial arts record of 21-4. Asakura has won 13 fights by KO, five by decision, and three by submission. Three of his four defeats were by KO, with one by decision.
Remarkably, Asakuru’s title fight with Pantoja will be his first-ever appearance in the UFC.
The 31-year-old is from Toyohashi, Japan. He has made his name in the Rizin Fighting Federation, where he is the former two-time bantamweight champion.
Asakuru is on a two-fight winning streak. He tends to rely on his speed and punching power, and as his fight record suggests, there is an element of live by the sword, die by the sword. He tends to either knock his opponent out or get knocked out himself.
It’s pretty much unheard of for a fighter to enter the UFC and walk straight into a title fight in the main event of a pay-per-view card. But this is exactly what Kai Asakura is doing.
The Japanese fighter is pure box office. It’s obvious why the powers-that-be within the UFC want him. The question is, how will he fare against an established UFC fighter?
As we all know, anybody with a good punch will always have a puncher’s chance. This is why Asakura is not a huge underdog.
And we all know the UFC would love a good scrap in their main event. But with Alexandre Pantoja involved in the fight, are we likely to get that?
That’s not a criticism of the champion. But from a betting perspective, we would have to ask why Pantoja would go into the octagon and start fighting to his opponent’s strengths. The simple answer is that Pantoja won’t.
The champion is a well-rounded fighter. He knows how to get the job done. We expect to see Pantoja utilize all of his fighting skills and wear Asakura down for the win.
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