By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch Senior Columnist
UFC 310 was this past weekend and it featured some exciting fights and
finishes. Who won and who lost? Let’s get to the rundown.
UFC 310
GOOD- Choi Doo-ho stops Nate Landwehr
They start off quickly and Choi lands a few strong punches before
Landwehr attacks his knee. Choi is much more active and continually
lands a damaging uppercut time and again before the first round ends.
The second round begins with Choi mixing in some kicks along with punches and he’s again a lot more active. Landwehr does land a
spinning back elbow but Choi absorbs it and gets the fight to the ground. Choi works his ground-and-pound before letting Landwehr up,
just to take him back down again then let him up again and the second round ends. The third round starts with Landwehr landing some powerful
punches but Choi fires back with some stinging strikes of his own before getting a takedown. Choi gets Landwehr into a crucifix and
starts battering him with punches and elbows. Eventually the referee
stops the fight not quite three and a half minutes into the third
round after Choi smashes Landwehr for a while.
Choi improves to 16-4-1 while Landwehr drops to 18-6. Good win for Choi.
GOOD- Bryce Mitchell submits Kron Gracie
They start off with some strikes before the fight goes to the mat.
They’ve reached a bit of a stalemate, as Mitchell can only throw some short left hands from on top until finally the first round ends. The second round begins with Gracie landing a big left hand while Mitchell
lands kicks. The fight goes back to the ground and they’re up and down
before Gracie nearly catches Mitchell but he’s able to avoid danger and the second round ends. The third round starts with Gracie grabbing
a body lock and pulling Mitchell down. As he’s pulled down Mitchell
pushes Gracie’s head down with his forearm and when they land, he
smashes Gracie with a big elbow that knocks him out. Mitchell hits him
again before the referee can intervene to stop him and this fight is over about forty seconds into the third round.
Mitchell improves to 17-2 while Gracie falls to 5-3 and has lost 3 straight fights. Good win for Mitchell.
GOOD/BAD- Ciryl Gane vs. Alexander Volkov
They start off with kicks before Volkov grabs one and gets a takedown.
Gane is quickly back up, though. They jab at each other before Gane gets a takedown. They grapple for a bit before returning to their
feet. Volkov gets a takedown but the first round ends before anything
can happen. The second round begins with some striking exchanges that
end with a powerful Volkov spinning back fist that nearly ends the fight. They’re trading strikes, even as Gane is rocked, but he’s able
to survive and get his wits back. Now it’s Volkov who’s rocked and has
to survive. He does and fights off a Gane takedown attempt before the
second round ends. The third round starts with some striking exchanges
before Volkov gets a takedown. They’re grappling, with neither man
able to get a clear advantage. Volkov remains on top until the fight ends and we have to go to the judges to render their verdict.
Gane wins the Split Decision to improve to 13-2 while Volkov drops to
38-11 and has his 4 fight winning streak stopped. I very much disagree
with this decision. Maybe I missed something and am completely wrong
but it seemed Volkov clearly won the last two rounds. Regardless, it’s
a win for Gane.
GOOD/BAD- Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Ian Machado Garry
They start slowly before Rakhmonov tries for a takedown but can’t get
it. They remain hugged up on each other as they each try for trips but
can land none and the first round is over. Why is this fight five
rounds? The second round begins with Garry being warned for
outstretched fingers, which is sadly the most exciting thing that’s happened so far. Now they’re trading strikes and Garry tries to
hyperextend Rakhmonov’s knee with a stomping strike that should be
outlawed. Why are some attempts to injure your opponent allowed while
others are banned? Rakhmonov rocks Garry and they tie up again then
the second round ends. The third round starts with some inaction
before they finally start trading strikes. They’re landing some nice strikes, just not as many as you would like to see. Rakhmonov absorbs
a head kick shortly before the third round ends.
The fourth round opens with some good striking exchanges before
Rakhmonov gets a takedown. Garry quickly stands and they trade for a
bit before Rakhmonov gets another takedown before the fourth round ends. This is exactly why I don’t like five round fights as a general rule. This is what should have been happening from the beginning, not
guys sandbagging the first few rounds to “pace” themselves for a five
round fight. Anyway, the fifth round begins with the fighters trading
strikes before Garry takes Rakhmonov’s back. They’re grappling and flipping around as they go for submissions and working their ground-and-pound then the fight ends. We go to the judges to render
their verdict.
Rakhmonov wins the decision to improve to a perfect 19-0 while Garry
drops to 15-1 and is handed his first loss. Good win for Rakhmonov.
GOOD- Alexandre Pantoja submits Kai Asakura
Pantoja successfully defended his UFC Flyweight Championship for the
third time here. Asakura is one of the rare fighters to get an
immediate title shot upon coming to the UFC. There’s a huge flurry of
action immediately as both fighters seem intent on finishing their foe. Pantoja gets a takedown but Asakura is immediately back up. These
guys are throwing bombs at each other. The speed on display is crazy and they seem seconds away from going Kaio-ken as a wild first round
ends. The second round begins with more lightning quick striking exchanges that end with Pantoja jumping on Asakura’s back and they go
to the mat. Pantoja locks in a rear-naked choke and Asakura passes out. This fight is over a bit over two minutes into the second round.
Wow.
Pantoja improves to 29-5 and has won 7 straight fights while Asakura drops to 21-5. Good win for Pantoja.
My new epic fantasy book is out. It’s called Kingdom of Zarias: The End’s
Beginning. The exciting epic fantasy series Kingdom of Zarias returns with the 4th book in the series. After the harrowing events of
Book 3 the residents of the Kingdom of Zarias continue on their paths.
Serena Summers continues to learn and grow as a fighter, desperately
seeking to become stronger before she loses anyone else in her life.
Daniel Summers discovers new parts of the world that open his eyes to just how little he truly knows. A new hero, Lamar Abeers, arrives to
join the fight against evil. Plus, Zach Summers, Tiana Highsmith, and Xavien Ekens continue their journeys with their friends, and a new
ruler of Vhaharen is crowned. The world has found a little peace.
However, that peace is only temporary. In a shocking act of violence,
the monstrous villain Galren strikes from the shadows and changes the
world forever. This is Book 4 in the series. There’s lots of action,
magic, and monsters in the Kingdom of Zarias. It’s like a tabletop
game in novel form. It’s on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and many other places. If you’re interested, I would greatly appreciate it if you would check it out and support me. Also, here’s the link to my Compendium book about the Kingdom of Zarias series- KoZ Compendium Thank you
very much, have a good day.
Comments and suggestions can be emailed to me at
hydenfrank@gmail.com and you can follow me on Twitter at @hydenfrank.
Thanks for reading and have a good day.
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