UFC 310 Betting Preview: Pantoja Will Be Too Much For Asakura

Posted on: December 6, 2024, 05:48h. 

Last updated on: December 6, 2024, 05:48h.

Mark Keast Read More

Expertise: Canadian Gaming, iGaming, Las Vegas, Sports Betting, NFL, Boxing, UFC.

Betting has been on the lighter side so far for tomorrow night’s 14-fight UFC 310 card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, according to traders.

“Quite frankly, with Alexandre Pantoja and Kai Asakura as the main bout and also the only title fight (flyweight), then it’s not too surprising,” said Mark Collier, a trader with BetVictor.

Highest Percentage of Bets on Asakura

“From previous experience, the UFC flyweight division never draws the bigger crowd, this stemming back to the days of Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson and his usual five-round chess match. At least with the likes of Alexandre Pantoja as the current champion, I’m sure ‘The Cannibal’ will be more active at trying to find the finish. As for the naturally-more-suited-for-bantamweight Asakura, he’s never been submitted so Pantoja might look to dominate and contain if the fight hits the championship rounds.

Early betting indicates that our punters think Pantoja will be too much for the 31-year-old Japanese contender with the 4/9 (-225) Bout Betting taking most fancy at this point.”

Heavyweight Division Contenders

Also on the card is an interesting heavyweight bout – Ciryl Gane versus Alexander Volkov, three years since the two last fought in the Octagon, at a time where there’s uncertainty about the future of the division.

Jon Jones last month defended the heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic, by TKO, sending Miocic into retirement with Donald Trump in the crowd at Madison Square Garden, but Jones now wants to fight Alex Pereira, where the light heavyweight champ would move up (assuming he’s willing to do that) for a mega-fight.

UFC president Dana White though wants Jones to fight interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall in a unification bout. Money will no doubt sort this out.

Gane and Volkov have an opportunity tomorrow night to join Aspinall as legitimate challengers.

Gane the Favorite

“There’s not much action on it at the moment, which is maybe a little surprising,” Collier said. “Figure all the heavyweight attention is on Jon Jones and the probable unification of the belts against our hopeful, Tom Aspinall. Gane and Volkov over three rounds feels a bit weird considering its most certainly a main five-round bout on most fight night cards, also with them doing so three or four years ago. A Gane decision most likely the result again, which is hard to see past even at 4/5.”

Handle for that fight is right down the middle, according to BetMGM stats – 52% on Gane, 48% on Volkov. On the bets side, 83% is on Gane, 17% on Volkov, with the Gane the odds favorite (-275, Volkov +210).

The co-main features undefeated welterweight contenders Shavat Rakhmonov (No. 3) and Ian Machado Garry (No. 7).

“So far, we have seen plenty of activity against Garry with Rakhmonov seeking to humble the charismatic Irishman,” Collier said. “It seems our punters have took the early show odds of 2/5 (-250) with the Vegas line moving in favour at 2/7 (-350). Hard one to call. Rakhmonov has many ways of winning this bout and with the ability to submit Garry very much on the table, it could be a very tough night for Garry.

Michael Van Page struggled to take down Ian Garry but this time round, the 2/1 Rakhmonov submission is certainly good value. Furthermore, with the bout scheduled for 5 rounds, the late finish looks to be favoured so far.”