Undisputed UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja showcased his brilliance with a stunning performance to submit Kai Asakura early in the second round of their five-round title clash at UFC 310 in Las Vegas.
Pantoja barely took a backward step throughout the fight as he met Asakura’s aggression with even more of his own. And while the Japanese former RIZIN FF bantamweight champion was throwing heavy leather and launching into dangerous jumping knees, “The Cannibal” would not be denied as he continued to push forward and connect with big shots of his own.
After spending most of Round 1 outstriking Asakura, Pantoja switched to his grappling in Round 2 as he took matters to the mat and secured the fight-ending submission.
Pantoja worked his way to Asakura’s back, locked up a rear-naked choke and rendered the challenger unconscious to score a statement finish and underscore his status as the premier flyweight fighter on the planet.
And, after his victory, Pantoja called for the greatest flyweight of all time to come out of retirement and test himself against the champion of today, as he called out former UFC and ONE flyweight champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson.
Given that “The Cannibal” has all but cleaned out the flyweight division already, the UFC brass might just consider picking up the phone and sounding out “Mighty Mouse” for an Octagon return in 2025…
Rakhmonov edges Machado Garry in welterweight chess match
In the five-round welterweight co-main event, Shavkat Rakhmonov survived a last-round submission scare to claim a unanimous decision victory over Ireland’s Ian Machado Garry as the two undefeated contenders went head to head for a shot at the welterweight title.
The first couple of rounds were filled with a lot of clinch work and not too much striking as the pair battled against the cage. But, as the bout wore on, openings started to appear, and both men had their successes.
Rakhmonov’s striking was more eye-catching early on, while Garry had decent success with his jab, without being able to follow with anything of major significance behind it. And, with Rakhmonov edging the first, second and fourth rounds, and with Garry only having consistent success in the third, it meant the Irishman needed a finish in the final frame, and he went all-out on the mat to get it.
Garry took Rakhmonov down, took his back, locked up a body triangle and attempted multiple rear-naked chokes/face cranks. But none were able to force the tap from the Kazakh contender, and eventually Rakhmonov turned the tables on his opponent and had Garry’s back on the mat in the closing stages of the fight.
Eventually, the bout went to the final bell, and the three cageside judges all scored the fight the same, with Rakhmonov claiming the victory with scores of 48-47 on all three scorecards to earn himself a shot at the man he was originally set to face at this event, welterweight champion Belal Muhammad, who faced off with Rakhmonov in a respectful staredown at the end of the fight.
Gane claims split-decision win
The night’s featured heavyweight matchup saw Ciryl Gane claim a split decision verdict over Alexander Volkov, but the Frenchman was far from satisfied with his performance.
Gane revealed after the contest that he’d broken his toes in the first round of the fight, which hampered him throughout the contest.
The pair duelled back and forth, both in the stand-up exchanges and on the mat. And, as the scores were being ready, many watching, including the majority of the fans inside T-Mobile Arena, appeared to think that Volkov had done oughto earn the victory.
But, when Gane’s hand was raised, everyone, perhaps including even Gane’s own team, were stunned. Gane even left the Octagon immediately after the result before being talked back into the cage for his post-fight interview.
The Frenchman was clearly far from happy from his display, which added another win to his record, but in somewhat disputed circumstances.
Mitchell KOs Gracie
The battle of featherweight grapplers was decided by knockout as Bryce Mitchell overcame some mid-fight adversity to knock out Kron Gracie and claim a memorable victory in their 145-pound bout.
The pair spent much of the matchup on the mat as Gracie and Mitchell tussled for grappling superiority, and Mitchell had to be on his guard to avoid submission trouble in the second round as Gracie looked to attack with an armbar attempt.
But Mitchell ensured he stayed out of serious trouble before the end of the second round. Then, as the third stanza started and Gracie jumped guard once again, “Thug Nasty” turned up the power.
A huge slam takedown started the finishing sequence. Then a pair of vicious punches to the downed Brazilian finished it as referee Keith Peterson dived in as soon as Gracie went unconscious.
It was a huge victory for Mitchell, who will now look to fight up the rankings again in a bid to move himself into contention in one of hte UFC’s most stacked weight classes.
“The Korean Superboy” halts “The Train”
The main card kicked off with a stellar performance from “The Korean Superboy” Dooho Choi, who looked outstanding in his third-round TKO victory over Nate “The Train” Landwehr.
Landwehr came flying out of his corner at the start of the fight in a big statement of intent, but found himself on the receiving end for almost the entirety of the contest as Choi peppered him with punches in the stand-up exchanges, and dominated him on the mat with his rarely-seen wrestling skills.
And, after trapping Landwehr in a crucifix in the third round, Choi unloaded a steady diet of elbows and punches to the unprotected head of “The Train” until the referee mercifully waved off the fight to spare Landwehr any more punishment.
UFC 313: Official results
MAIN CARD
- Alexandre Pantoja def. Kai Asakura via technical submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:05– for flyweight title
- Shavkat Rakhmonov def. Ian Machado Garryvia unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)
- Ciryl Gane def. Alexander Volkov via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
- Bryce Mitchell def. Kron Gracie via knockout (slam and elbows) – Round 3, 0:39
- Dooho Choi def. Nate Landwehr via TKO (elbows and punches) – Round 3, 3:21
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Dominick Reyes def. Anthony Smith via TKO (punches and elbows) – Round 2, 4:46
- Vicente Luque def. Themba Gorimbo via submission (D’Arce choke) – Round 1, 0:52
- Movsar Evloev def. Aljamain Sterling via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Bryan Battle def. Randy Brown via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
EARLY PRELIMS
- Erik Anders def. Chris Weidman via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:51
- Joshua Van def. Cody Durden via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-26, 30-27)
- Michael Chiesa def. Max Griffin via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 1:56
- Chase Hooper def. Clay Guida via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 3:41
- Kennedy Nzechukwu def. Lukasz Brzeski via TKO (punches) – Round 1 ,4:51
