Michael Bisping can’t wait for the UFC 310 preliminary fights, never mind the main card.
The headline bill has Alexandre Pantoja defending his flyweight title for the third time against UFC debutant Kai Asakura.
Ireland’s Ian Machado Garry takes on Shavkat Rakhmonov for the interim welterweight status in the co-main event, while Ciryl Gane rematches Alexander Volkov in a top heavyweight bout on the main card.
But arguably the most exciting aspect of UFC 310 is the preliminary action, which gets underway before any of the main card bouts.
“Let me tell you, we have the best prelims that any fight card has ever had,” Bisping said in a UFC 310 preview on his YouTube channel.
“This is the first fight of the night. Clay Guida versus Chase Hooper. Then it’s Michael Chiesa versus Max Griffin. Cody Durden versus Joshua Van.”
The subsequent prelim fights feature two former UFC champions, plus two men who once fought Jon Jones for the light-heavyweight title go head-to-head.
Ex-UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, who dropped his belt to Sean O’Malley at UFC 292, takes on the undefeated Russian Movsar Evloev in a featherweight bout.
Meanwhile, former middleweight champ Chris Weidman takes on Eryk Anders in their rescheduled bout that was meant to take place at UFC 309.
The original fight was cancelled just hours before they entered the octagon after the latter suffered a medical issue.
Weidman is infamously known for one of the worst injuries in UFC history, after he broke his leg just 17 seconds into his 2021 bout with Uriah Hall at UFC 261.
His leg kick silenced the sold-out arena in Jacksonville, Florida, and it was confirmed after the bout that ‘The All-American’ had suffered a compound fracture to his tibia and fibula, with the latter puncturing the skin through his calf.
Chris Weidman suffered a horrendous leg break in 2021[/caption]
UFC 310’s headline prelims act has Dominick Reyes and Anthony Smith, who both fought Jones in 2019 and 2020, squaring off in the octagon.
“Chris Weidman versus Eryk Anders. We all know Chris Weidman, former champion, snapped his leg, was meant to fight at Madison Square Garden [at UFC 309].
“Well, now he’s coming back against Eryk Anders. Randy Brown taking on Bryan Battle, a man that just thrilled audiences in Paris.
“Randy Brown’s also doing big things as well. Shout out to ‘Rude Boy’. Movsar Evloev, 18 and 0, undefeated, going up against a former champion, Aljamain Sterling. Again, this is the prelims, by the way.
“And then the prelim headliner is my mate, Anthony Smith going up against Dominick Reyes, the man that fought Jon Jones for the light heavyweight title.
“As I said, probably the best prelims that a fight card has ever had.”
Randy Brown, 34, faces Bryan ‘The Butcher’ Battle, who has only two career pro MMA defeats, in a welterweight bout before ex-champion Sterling returns to action.
Sterling went on a nine-fight win streak en route to the summit of UFC’s bantamweight rankings, before losing the title to O’Malley in August 2023.
‘Funk Master’ won on his return to MMA eight months later against Calvin Kattar at UFC 300, after moving up to the featherweight division and is eyeing up a title shot once again.
MMA fans were in agreement with Bisping regarding the exciting UFC 310 prelims.
Bisping has worked as a UFC commentator since retiring from MMA after consecutive defeats in November 2017.
One took to X and said: “I haven’t seen a card this stacked (besides 300) from top to bottom in years.”
While another added: “UFC 310 might be a top three card this year.”
And another responded: You know UFC 310 is about to bang when the early prelims and prelims are this stacked.”
UFC 310’s early prelims will begin at 11pm GMT on UFC Fight Pass, with the prelims kicking off at 1am.
The main card is scheduled to begin around 3am this Sunday for UK fans live from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, and will be broadcast on TNT Sports.
