UFC 310 Post-Fight Tally

UFC 310 was a card with potential from top to bottom, with plenty of story lines coming to a crossroads. Whether it was contenders Rude Boy Randy Brown and Bryan Battle duking it out for three full rounds or the undefeated matchup of Shavkat Rakhmonov and Ian Machado Garry going the distance in a calculated bout, UFC 310 was a catalyst for many divisions in the sport. With all that said the card had moments that left a bad taste in the mouths of the fans and the boss Dana White. Dana White, the President of The UFC, seemed to have a short fuse with the media in the post fight press conference, often shutting down questions from the reporters. A visible frustration from the boss seems to tune to the same frequency of the fans. The confusing decision of the judges in the Cyril Gane and Alexander Volkov fight was the pinnacle of this sentiment. In a seemingly straight forward win for Volkov, the decision went in the opposite direction, with Cyril Gane getting his hand raised in a split decision. When other things other than the fight itself seem to get in the way of justice in this sport, the fighters and fans suffer. Fortunately enough the UFC, unlike boxing, has created a culture where a loss isn’t the end of someones career. Volkovs stock didn’t go down after this fight, if anything it went up. Volkov proved he could stand with the best athletes and strikers in his division. The only issue here, was the stakes of this fight, title contention. All together UFC 310 was sprinkled with big moments, confusing moments, and ultimately massive reality checks for a lot of fighters.

The first matchup of the evenings main card included the lightweight division’s Nate “The Train” Landwher and Choi Doo-Ho. This fight had brawl written all over it from the moment the fight was scheduled and brawl we got. Surprisingly the South Korean got it done by way of KO in the third round. After two rounds of this fight it was clear that Doo-Ho was the sharper, faster fighter. Doo-Ho landed big shots and the damage began to show on Nate. Landwher gassed out towards the end of his fight with the South Korean, but still made the fight exciting until he was finished. Nate was getting pieced up and still stood strong in the face of adversity and threw big looping punches that had bad intentions attached. All and all, these two UFC veterans put on one of the best shows of the night and truly started the card off with a bang. This Matchup earned at 7.3 out of 10

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The second bout of the evening was a reality check for one fighter and a huge bounce back for the other. This fight included Featherweight Bryce “Thug Nasty” Mitchell and his opponent Kron Gracie. This fight went exactly how it was supposed to. Ranked Fighter Bryce Mitchell got the finish by way of KO/TKO in the final round with a brutal slam followed by vicious elbows. This mashup of styles resulted Kron Gracie trying to rely on his Ju-Jitsu to get the job done. Unfortunately, Gracie  found himself mounted for most of the fight trying to work a finish from his back. Mitchell is known for his top control and ground and pound fighting style. A tough strategy to employ for Gracie as he played into Mitchells strong suit. This fight was a reality check for Kron, leaving questions of his ability to translate his skills into the world of mixed martial arts. If Kron cant at least provide an exciting fight, he might find himself off the roster soon. Fans are seeing a fighter that wants to turn everything into a traditional grappling match. If he continues to jump guard and stay on his back, he will fall out of grace with the bosses and fans. His last name ultimately landed him the position on last nights pay per view, but if he doesn’t develop his style and striking, he will be swept off the roster faster than he got these big fights. Bryce Mitchell on the other hand looked fantastic. He dragged Gracie into his realm and proved his wrestling can be a handful for anyone in the featherweight division. He needed the finish to establish himself. Without that finish his next matchup might not be one that moves him closer to title contention. Mitchell has become a bit of a gatekeeper in the division. The feeling that a path to the top ten in the division runs through him. These kinds of fighters tend to have longevity so expect a long career from Mitchell. This matchup gets a 4.5 out 10. Kron Gracie doesn’t seem to be ready for this level of competition.

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The third matchup of the evening brings one of the biggest stories of the night. The heavyweight bout between the Frenchman Cyril Gane and Russia’s Alexander Volkov left fans, fighters and UFC staffers in confusion. Gane was awarded the win in a split decision victory over Volkov, where many people believe it was a clear victory for Volkov, including Gane himself. Gane showed he shared this sentiment by leaving the octagon before his post fight octagon interview. He was ushered back into the cage to give the interview where he revealed his disatisfaction with the result and his performance. He offered up that he broke his toes after throwing his first teep kick of the match, a blow that uses the balls of your feet to jab through the guard of your opponent. Gane being a fighter that uses distance to his advantage and largely strikes from the outside was limited from this injury resulting in him needing to force grappling exchanges. Gane revealed his fight camp was largely grappling focused, where he showed an improvement in grappling exchanges compared to previous fights. However Volkov simply was too much for Gane. Many of the grappling exchanges ended with Volkov in control. Volkov continues to prove his ability to stand with the scariest strikers in the division. Volkov showed visible frustration with the decision of the fight and for good reason. The UFC is a harsh reality however, where if you don’t finish your opponent things like this happen. To leave the fight to the judges is every fighters worst nightmare. Volkov didn’t dominate by any means, but to the common eye, won the fight. This matchup earns a 6.8 out of 10

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The Co main event of the evening featured undefeated fighters Shavkat Rakhmonov and Ian Machado Garry. These middleweights put their legacy on the line in a bout where someones O had to go. The fight started off slow as the fighters felt each other out. Having trained and sparred together, the fan could sense these two combatants knew the threat standing in front of them. Shavkat, the betting favorite, landing some big shots that caught Garry off guard early in the fight continuing with the clinch for most of the early rounds. Ian Garry fought back in the third round showing his will to fight, increasing his out put landing more kicks and strikes than Rakhmonov. The fights biggest moment came in the final round when Rakhmonov shot for a take down and got reversed by Garry. Garry ended up taking Rakhmonov’s back and threatened a finish by rear naked choke. This was the closest either fighter came to a finish, however the position quickly transformed with Rakhmonov gaining top position. Shavkat Rakhmonov won the decision victory improving to 19-0. This fight uncovered the humanity of Shavkat Rakhmonov, who has been completely dominate with a 100% finish rate. Often regarded as the boogieman of the middleweight division, Garry was able to take Shavkat the distance and had the fighter in his most compromising position in his career. Garry’s stock didn’t drop with the loss, his abilities are improving showing more versatility on the ground and cardio to go 5 rounds. Garry is still a contender in the division, with a rematch on the horizon. This matchup earns a 8.4 out of 10 as it had everything a fight fan wants, high stakes, top notch ability, and big moments.

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The main event was potentially the most exciting fight of the evening, that left fans wanting more. With the Flyweight belt on the line, this championship fight delivered. The challenger, the Japanese phenom Kai Asakura showed up ready and confident in his abilities. Standing across the cage was Flyweight Champion Alexandre Pantoja, proving himself to be one of the most versatile fighters on the roster. The fight started off with a bang. Asakura and Pantoja traded some big shots with Asakura landing a brutal knee that fans at home could even feel. Pantoja showed he was too much for the challenger, often initiating grappling exchanges to neutralize the knockout potential of Asakura. Pantoja feels like a walking swarm of danger, proved by his quick work of the Japan native in the second round. Pantoja took Asakuras back and choked the challenger unconscious by rear naked choke, defending his belt for the third time in a row. Pantoja is carving himself out a place in the history books aligning himself with the greats of the division (Deiveson Figueredo, Brandon Moreno, Demetrious Johnson, Henry Cejudo). The Flyweight division Is lacking for top talent and is regarded as one of the most shallow divisions in the UFC. This is evident in the fact Asakura got signed to the roster and was immediately rewarded with the title shot. As well as Pantojas post fight callout of the retired fighter Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson . The UFC prides itself on building talent, however the Flyweight division is thirsty for star power and big names. This is a confusing sentiment because often times the scrappy nature of the 125 pounders leads to action packed fights. The UFC has its work cut out for this division. This matchup earned an 8.1 out 10.

Photo by Jeff Battari/Zuffa LLC

UFC 310 earned 7.0 out of 10 in this weeks Main Card Matchups post fight tally.