Alexandre Pantoja defends his flyweight championship against Kai Asakura in the main event of UFC 310 on Saturday in Las Vegas. The main card will be on ESPN+ pay-per-view starting at 10 p.m. ET, with prelims on ESPN+ at 6 p.m. and simulcasts on ESPN2 at 7:30 p.m.
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Pantoja (28-5) and Asakura (21-4) face off for the first time inside T-Mobile Arena. While Pantoja enters on a six-fight winning streak, having successfully defended his title twice already, Asakura is set to make his UFC debut.
Asakura, 31, is the seventh Japanese fighter to challenge for UFC gold and is vying to be the first to earn a victory.
Pantoja, 34, dominated Brandon Royval last December in Las Vegas. Next, he returned to his hometown of Rio de Janeiro in May and defeated Australian challenger Steve Erceg.
The UFC 310 main event is a mystery story, one that will play out in a narrative genre that's not so much whodunit as who-is-it. Saturday's fight pits a low-profile champion from a lower-profile weight class, men's flyweight Alexandre Pantoja, against a challenger many U.S. fans will see for the first time, Kai Asakura. Maybe leaning into the unknown is the UFC's way of building the suspense.
And yet, there's an undercurrent of familiarity in this weekend's headline matchup in Las Vegas (ESPN+ PPV, 10 p.m. ET). When Pantoja enters the Octagon, he might even feel like he's walking into a déjà vu experience: Just like last time, he will be staring across the cage at an under-the-radar challenger. In May, at UFC 301, Pantoja defended his title against Steve Erceg, who was unranked by ESPN and had barely dipped his toe into the UFC's top 10. The champ passed that understated test by a unanimous, but highly competitive, decision.
Now Pantoja gets Asakura, who will be making his UFC debut. However, as fans across the Pacific Ocean know, the challenger is no newcomer to the fight game. The 31-year-old from Japan, a two-time former Rizin bantamweight champ with notable wins (Kyoji Horiguchi, Manel Kape, Juan Archuleta), has been competing professionally for 12 years -- just never before in the United States.
As for Pantoja, who's 34 and from Brazil, he is quietly restoring stability the flyweight division hasn't seen since the days of Demetrious Johnson. It's not anywhere near "Mighty Mouse"-level stability, of course, as Johnson was a champ from 2012 to 2018 -- a reign of 2,142 days, the second-longest in UFC history. Johnson made a record 11 consecutive title defenses, while Pantoja will be going for just his third this weekend.sadsad
Watch UFC 310 Live Stream Online From Anywhere. No cable or VPN required. One Time Payment, No Hidden Fees.
Click To: UFC 310 Live Anywhere Low Price
Click To: UFC 310: Pantoja vs. Asakura Live Anywhere Low Price
Pantoja (28-5) and Asakura (21-4) face off for the first time inside T-Mobile Arena. While Pantoja enters on a six-fight winning streak, having successfully defended his title twice already, Asakura is set to make his UFC debut.
Asakura, 31, is the seventh Japanese fighter to challenge for UFC gold and is vying to be the first to earn a victory.
Pantoja, 34, dominated Brandon Royval last December in Las Vegas. Next, he returned to his hometown of Rio de Janeiro in May and defeated Australian challenger Steve Erceg.
The UFC 310 main event is a mystery story, one that will play out in a narrative genre that's not so much whodunit as who-is-it. Saturday's fight pits a low-profile champion from a lower-profile weight class, men's flyweight Alexandre Pantoja, against a challenger many U.S. fans will see for the first time, Kai Asakura. Maybe leaning into the unknown is the UFC's way of building the suspense.
And yet, there's an undercurrent of familiarity in this weekend's headline matchup in Las Vegas (ESPN+ PPV, 10 p.m. ET). When Pantoja enters the Octagon, he might even feel like he's walking into a déjà vu experience: Just like last time, he will be staring across the cage at an under-the-radar challenger. In May, at UFC 301, Pantoja defended his title against Steve Erceg, who was unranked by ESPN and had barely dipped his toe into the UFC's top 10. The champ passed that understated test by a unanimous, but highly competitive, decision.
Now Pantoja gets Asakura, who will be making his UFC debut. However, as fans across the Pacific Ocean know, the challenger is no newcomer to the fight game. The 31-year-old from Japan, a two-time former Rizin bantamweight champ with notable wins (Kyoji Horiguchi, Manel Kape, Juan Archuleta), has been competing professionally for 12 years -- just never before in the United States.
As for Pantoja, who's 34 and from Brazil, he is quietly restoring stability the flyweight division hasn't seen since the days of Demetrious Johnson. It's not anywhere near "Mighty Mouse"-level stability, of course, as Johnson was a champ from 2012 to 2018 -- a reign of 2,142 days, the second-longest in UFC history. Johnson made a record 11 consecutive title defenses, while Pantoja will be going for just his third this weekend.sadsad