The final lineup for UFC 310 is now set with a bout order that includes a pair of former champions decorating the prelims.
There have been more than a few changes to the final UFC pay-per-view in 2024, particularly after welterweight champion Belal Muhammad was knocked off the card with a foot infection that prevented him from facing Shavkat Rakhmonov in the main event.
Now flyweight king Alexandre Pantoja defends his belt in the headliner against newcomer Kai Asakura, who gets a crack at UFC gold in his first fight with the promotion after previously ruling in RIZIN in Japan.
As for Rakhmonov, he remained on the card but now faces Ian Machado Garry in a five-round co-main event that should almost certainly crown the No. 1 contender at welterweight with the winner moving on to face Muhammad once he’s healthy enough to compete again in 2025.
Perhaps the biggest surprise aren’t the fights on the card but rather the bout order.
Former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling makes his second appearance at 145 pounds in a pivotal matchup against undefeated mauler Movsar Evloev in a fight that could push the winner into title contention. While the high-profile fight has possible title implications, Sterling and Evloev are actually competing on the preliminary portion of the UFC 310 card.
Meanwhile, Chris Weidman is actually now headlining the early prelims after his fight against Eryk Anders was scrapped from UFC 309 and instead shifted to UFC 310 on Saturday. Anders fell ill just before he was scheduled to face Weidman in New York in November so the bout was cancelled and eventually rebooked.
The middleweights meet in the early prelims of what is ultimately a pretty stacked UFC 310 card overall. Here’s the official bout order for UFC 310, per the promotion.
UFC 310 Main Card (10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ pay-per-view)
MAIN EVENT: Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Asakura
Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Ian Machado Garry
Ciryl Gane vs. Alexander Volkov
Bryce Mitchell vs. Kron Gracie
UFC 310 PRELIMS (8 p.m. ET on ESPN 2/ESPN+)
Dominick Reyes vs. Anthony Smith
Vicente Luque vs. Themba Gorimbo
Movsar Evloev vs. Aljamain Sterling
UFC 310 EARLY PRELIMS (6 p.m. ET)
Chris Weidman vs. Eryk Anders
