The UFC returns to T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV this Saturday (December 7) for UFC 310, and MMA KO’s Drew Beaupré is here to provide predictions for all nine of the night’s prelim fights.
Anthony Smith vs. Dominick Reyes
It was a rare feel-good moment in MMA when Reyes returned in June and snapped his four-fight skid against Dustin Jacoby, and now “The Dominator” has to get past Smith if he wants to get back into light heavyweight title contention.
Smith has made a habit of defying the odds during the latter half of his career in the UFC, and while I do think that “Lionheart” is a live underdog here I’m expecting Reyes to score back-to-back wins for the first time since 2019.
(Pick: Reyes)
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Vicente Luque vs. Themba Gorimbo
This matchup features two welterweights at very different places in their respective careers, as Gorimbo is currently on a four-fight win streak and Luque has gone 1-3 dating back to a 2022 meeting with current champion Belal Muhammad.
Luque’s last stoppage-loss to Buckley was a tough one to watch, but even though “The Silent Assassin” may not quite be the fighter he once was I’m not entirely sold on the idea of Gorimbo competing with the UFC’s welterweight Top 15.
(Pick: Luque)
Movsar Evloev vs. Aljamain Sterling
It’s a travesty that a potential number one contender bout for the featherweight division is this far down the prelims, but regardless this should be an entertaining matchup between Evloev and Sterling.
This is an incredibly hard fight to call given that both fighters are such talented grapplers, and even though Evloev is undefeated I’m going to pick Sterling to win here based on his championship experience.
(Pick: Sterling)
Randy Brown vs. Bryan Battle
Battle took another step towards the UFC welterweight rankings when he scored his third-straight stoppage-win against Kevin Jousset (not counting the No Contest against Ange Loosa in March), and a win over Brown would likely set “The Butcher” up for a fight against ranked opposition.
Brown enters UFC 301 on a three-fight win streak of his own, and after only losing to top welterweight Jack Della Maddalena in his last eight bouts I’ll side with “Rude Boy” to remind fans that he’s one of the most underrated fighters in the division.
(Pick: Brown)
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Chris Weidman vs. Eryk Anders
I’m glad the UFC managed to rebook this fight after it fell through at UFC 309 given how well-matched it is for both men at this stage of their respective careers.
There’s a chance that fans may see Weidman enter the Octagon for the last time on Saturday night, and as much as I’d love to see him retire on a win I’m going to slightly lean with Anders to get the job done here.
(Pick: Anders)
Cody Durden vs. Joshua Van
This is arguably the most underrated fight on the UFC 310 prelims, and on paper the matchup looks like it will come down to Durden’s grappling vs. Van’s striking.
This fight should provide a solid test for Van’s takedown defense, and if he’s able to keep things standing then I can see “The Fearless” pouring strikes on against Durden to score a stoppage-win.
(Pick: Van)
Michael Chiesa vs. Max Griffin
Like Weidman vs. Anders, this is a well-matched contest between a pair of longtime UFC veterans in Chiesa and Griffin.
It’s tough to put too much stock into Chiesa’s victory over Tony Ferguson in August, and given how well-rounded Griffin is I’ll pick “Pain” to fend off any takedown attempts and secure arguably his biggest victory in the UFC.
(Pick: Griffin)
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Clay Guida vs. Chase Hooper
The odds in this fight are alarmingly lopsided considering Guida’s longevity and experience, but after suffering back-to-back losses Hooper has rebounded impressively with three-straight wins.
These two previously met a Fury Pro Grappling 6 in 2022 in a matchup that saw Hooper win via first-round calf slicer, and even though Guida will be able to use strikes here the 42-year-old has a difficult style matchup in front of him in Las Vegas.
(Pick: Hooper)
Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Lukasz Brzeski
The curtain-jerker for UFC 310 will see Nzechukwu attempt to earn his second heavyweight win after he moved up a division and stopped Chris Barnett at UFC 308 in October.
The victory over Barnett may have a bit of an asterisk given that “Beast Boy” sustained an injury that heavily contributed to the finish, but Nzechukwu is still a physical force at heavyweight and could bounce Brzeski from the UFC on Saturday night.
(Pick: Nzechukwu)
MMA KO will be providing comprehensive coverage for UFC 310 all throughout fight week, and be sure to check back on our homepage for a preview of the event as well as live results and highlights on fight night.
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