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And yet, there is 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 also feels like he’s going through a déjà vu experience: just like last time, he’ll be staring at a radar challenger from across the cage. In May, at UFC 301, Pantoja defended his title. against Steve ErsigWhich was unrated by ESPN and barely dipped its toe into the UFC’s top 10. The champion passed this unusual test by unanimous, but highly contested decision.
Now Pantoja gets Oscar, who will be making his UFC debut. However, as fans across the Pacific know, Challenger is no stranger to the fight game. The 31-year-old, two-time former Ryzen bantamweight champion from Japan, with notable wins (Kiyoji Horiguchi, Manila Cape, Juan Archuleta.), has been competing professionally for 12 years — never before in America.
As for Pantoja, who is 34 and hails from Brazil, he is quietly restoring stability the flyweight division hasn’t seen since those days. Demetrius Johnson. That’s nowhere near “Mighty Mouse”-level stability, of course, as Johnson was champion 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 make just his third appearance this weekend.
Still, if he succeeds, Pantoja (-260 favorite to win, per ESPN BET) will join the light heavyweight ranks. Alex Pereira And lightweight Islam Makhachev As the only current UFC champion with more than two defenses of the throne. He’s not as big a shot as those other two guys, but Pantoja is picking up speed and has emerged. ESPN Pound for Pound Top 5.
In terms of Championship reputation, Pantoja may not be much more than a Minnie Mouse. But to his credit, he’s not grabbing the 125-pound belt like a hot potato, like his predecessors. Brandon Moreno And Davison Figueredo Did for three years. Between the summers of 2020 and 2023, Moreno and Figueiredo met four times and traded the reins back and forth, each ending the other’s brief tenure before either could gain steam. Pantoja finally broke the deadlock with a win over Moreno in July 2023, and has held the UFC title ever since.
Will Pantoja step out of the shadows and shine in the main event spotlight? Or will Ascura make an unbeatable first impression? It’s a great story at UFC 310, but if that’s not great enough to attract fight fans, the promotion bolsters the card with a great co-main event between the undefeated welterweight and a few former champions and more. is doing Here are five stories that will be interesting to watch.
1. No reason to miss it.
Welterweight: Shaukat Rahmanov Vs Ian Machado Gary
Having said all the good things about the main event, it’s the co-main that interests me the most. How can anyone rank anything higher in the rankings with both invincible vs. invincible participants? Rahmanov (18-0), ESPN’s No. 3 at 170 poundsChallenging, the title should have been in boxing. Bilal Muhammad for the welterweight title. But the champion An infection was encountered In training, and instead of waiting, Rakhmonov chose to fight against No. 6 Machado Guerrey (15-0). It’s a bold move for both men to take the fight, especially Rakhmonov, who, with 18 finishes in 18 fights, is starting to be seen as a champion in waiting. I’m glad he took the risk. No disrespect to Muhammad, but even with no belt on the line, this is a more appealing matchup than this title scrap. It’s a rarity to see two top MMA fighters clash who don’t know what it feels like to lose.
2. Something new to freshen things up
Men’s Flyweight Championship: Alexander Pantoja (c) vs. Kai Ascora
Some might consider it a negative that the UFC is giving a debuting fighter a title shot. I’d probably share that sentiment if Ascora was cutting in front of the clear No. 1 contender, but there’s no 125-pounder to be found. Tom Spinal Here’s the cure. Asakura could have gone to another Japanese fighter if Tatsuro Taira — ESPN’s No. 1 ranked fighter under the age of 25. — His unbeaten run was not over. Brandon Rival The October title fight couldn’t move to Rival, though, as he already had two shots at Pantoja. Brandon Moreno was three. Pantoja completely owns this division, and he’s forced the UFC to think outside the octagonal box and bring in mystery man Asakura. And I’m far more interested in the unknown than I would be in continuing the endless parade of rematches that would suck the life out of the 125-pound championship picture.
3. They can’t keep their hands off each other
2:41
How Algemeen Stirling relates chess to his fight.
UFC bantamweight champion Algemene Sterling fell in love with chess after trying it during the pandemic.
Feather Weight: Movsar Evloev Vs Algemene Sterling
For fans of Shrekman’s flawless matchmaking, here’s a pairing of a former champion and an undefeated fighter. Sterling, who moved up to 145 pounds after his bantamweight stint ended last year, will be wrestled by Evelove (18-0), who has scored multiple takedowns in all but one of his eight UFC fights. have done Each of those fights went to a decision, by the way, which may satisfy fight nerds but will unnerve those who live for the thrill of a knockout or submission. I’ve seen Sterling take down some top shelf guys (TJ Dillashaw, Corey Sandhagan), so it probably wouldn’t come across to us reading Bruce Buffer’s scorecard numbers that we might think it should be changed. Don’t expect a brawl, but these good fighters are worth watching as they go to work. (Other former champions in action at UFC 310: Chris Weidmanwhich has to be faced. Eric Anders.)
4. No landing spot to move on to.
Heavy weight: Cyril Gain Vs Alexander Volkov
After his no-show performance in A Two minutes of submission loss To Jon Jones Earlier last year, Ginn restored his reputation somewhat with a second-round TKO. Sergei Spivak In September 2023. But he has been idle for a year. Although it’s not his fault — the bout was scheduled for October until Volkov injured his knee in training — at any rate the big Frenchman hit a brick wall. It’s unclear whether a win here would advance either man. The division is at the mercy of Jones, and Gen Volkov can do all the winning work until it’s his turn. Keeping your head above water can be a challenge in a choppy heavyweight sea filled with sharks with big teeth and big fists.
5. Do not stand in any position.
1:16
Gracie fights for her legacy, her family’s.
Kron Gracie talks about the importance of Gracie winning again in the UFC and the people he fights for in his career.
Feather Weight: Bryce Mitchell Vs Cron Gracie
Feeling lucky? It’s a coin flip: it could be “or make popcorn” or it could be stale bread. Gracie comes from a family line that put MMA on the map — her Uncle Royce won UFC 1, 2 and 4 one-night tournaments — and, more than three decades later, no further than a clan of jiu-jitsu experts. grow up Gracie fought for the last time, in a lifeless loss Charles Jourdain A year and a half ago, UFC CEO Dana White commented afterward that he looked like something “out of a time capsule in 1995.” That was not praise, even coming from the man whose job it is to sell us on our warriors. Now, though, Gracie has teamed up with a fellow grappler in Mitchell. If this contest is determined by one dimension where both men excel, it might be fun to watch while we eat our pretzels. If they start boxing instead, that would be a good time to go to the kitchen and grab a sandwich for submission.
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