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In a 5-round flyweight championship bout in the main event, Alexandre Pantoja and Kai Asakura battle Saturday at UFC 310 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Let’s analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s UFC odds around the UFC 310: Pantoja vs. Asakura odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.
The early prelims begin at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN+, while the prelims begin at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2/FX/ESPN+. The main card begins at 10 p.m. ET on Pay-Per-View (PPV).
Records: Pantoja (28-5-0) | Asakura (21-4-0)
Pantoja secured the flyweight belt at UFC 290 with a split-decision victory over Brandon Moreno, and he has a pair of successful title defenses with unanimous-decision wins over Brandon Royval and Steve Erceg.
Pantoja’s last fight against Erceg was at UFC 301 back in early May. He has 6 straight victories, including 2 via submission, and 4 by way of decision, since his last loss to Askar Askarov in a unanimous-decision setback in a fight night in July 2020.
Asakura is making his UFC debut, and he gets a title shot. The Japanese fighter is a punching machine with tremendous power, and he is known for his knees to the body of the opponent, too, so that will be something Pantoja will want to avoid.
One thing absent from Asakura’s history is wins and losses by way of submission. He last won via the method in July 2, 2016 against Xiaoyang Liu at Road Fighting Championship 32 via rear-naked choke. Meanwhile, Pantoja has 2 victories via the method in his past 5 fights at the UFC level.
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UFC 310: Pantoja vs. Asakura odds
Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list UFC odds. Lines last updated at 2:45 p.m. ET.
- Fight result (2-way line): Pantoja -260 (bet $260 to win $100) | Asakura +215 (bet $100 to win $215)
- Total Rounds: 2.5 Rounds (Over: -134 | Under: +106)
- Will the fight go the distance? (Yes +186 | No -240)
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UFC 310: Pantoja vs. Asakura picks and predictions
Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)
Pantoja (-260) is going a little bit against the unknown, heading into a fight against Asakura (+215) in his UFC debut. But, we know what we’ll get some Pantoja. While Asakura can deliver devastating knees to the body in close quarters, Pantoja delivers leg kicks with the best of them, too.
In addition, Pantoja knows what it takes to be a champion, successfully defending his strap twice. He isn’t going to lose it to a newcomer. He has 8 victories in his career via KO/TKO, so knows a thing or two about power, too. And, he is outstanding in the clinch, and just a good all-around fighter.
However, you can’t bet Pantoja straight up, risking more than 2 1/2 times your potential return. PANTOJA BY SUBMISSION (+175) might be the best value. He has 2 finishes via the method in the past 5 fights, and he isn’t going to want to go toe-to-toe with a fighter of Asakura’s ilk, even if he is making his UFC debut. Getting into a brawl makes it a 50-50 proposition, but getting the fight to the mat tips the scales in the Brazilian champ’s favor.
Over/Under (O/U)
No: Will the fight go the distance? (-240) is way too expensive, costing you nearly 2 1/2 times your potential return.
However, OVER 2.5 ROUNDS (-134) might not be a bad play. Again, Asakura is a bit of a wild card, and Pantoja might want to do a little bit of feeling out before he elects to get close.
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