Preview: UFC 310 ‘Pantoja vs. Asakura’

Featherweights

#13 FW | Bryce Mitchell (16-2, 7-2 UFC) vs. Kron Gracie (5-2, 1-2 UFC)

ODDS: Mitchell (-700), Gracie (+500)

This pairing is a fascinating curiosity, if nothing else. Mitchell overachieved for much of his UFC run, having come to the promotion from “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2018 while appearing to be a one-dimensional grappling specialist. That’s still obviously the standout phase for “Thug Nasty,” one of the few fighters to have a win via twister in UFC history, but he has developed a striking game effective enough to work as a change-up over the years; and despite Mitchell’s persona outside the cage, during his fights, he has shown to be a fairly intelligent problem solver in terms of adapting to what does and does not work over time. Mitchell’s breakthrough as a potential contender came early in 2022, when he was able to outmaneuver and outwork Edson Barboza, but that performance now looks to have been close to his ceiling after emphatic losses to Ilia Topuria and Josh Emmett in two of his last three fights. Topuria was eventually able to beat Mitchell at his own game and score a submission, while the Emmett fight resulted in Mitchell eating one of the scariest knockouts in recent memory within two minutes. Now about a year removed from the loss to Emmett, Mitchell has recovered enough to make his return, though this matchup against Gracie doesn’t figure to test his durability.

Gracie made his UFC debut in 2019 and was an intriguing talent, as his grappling skills lived up to his family name, a point further proven by his quick submission of Alex Caceres in his first trip to the Octagon. The UFC then looked to push Gracie quickly up the ranks, slotting him into a co-main event against Cub Swanson a few months later. While that resulted in a clear decision win for Swanson, Gracie did show some promise even in the loss, showing off his durability and a willingness to keep fighting with consistent pressure. Gracie has done little to follow up on that in the half a decade since, only returning three and a half years later for a flat performance against Charles Jourdain in May 2023. Gracie seemingly had no plan beyond continuing to hunt for low-percentage submissions that Jourdain was able to avoid. Perhaps Mitchell chooses to engage with Gracie on the mat enough to make this an entertaining affair, but there’s a decent chance that he can just flit around from distance and outmaneuver Gracie on the feet in an ugly fight. Either way, the pick is Mitchell via decision.

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Pantoja vs. Asakura
Rakhmonov vs. Garry
Gane vs. Volkov
Mitchell vs. Gracie
Landwehr vs. Choi
The Prelims