The 10 | Detailing December’s Most Intriguing Matchups

Originally scheduled to take place in October at UFC 307, Movsar Evloev and Aljamain Sterling instead face off here in a critical featherweight pairing.

Closing in on his 31st birthday, Evloev remains unbeaten, having posted eight straight wins under the UFC banner and 18 consecutive victories overall. His climb up the divisional ranks has been slow and steady, and after posting a unanimous decision win over Arnold Allen earlier this year, adding another victory to his resume to wrap up the year would bring him one step closer to title contention in the ultra-competitive 145-pound ranks.

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Sterling made his debut in the division at UFC 300, grinding out a decision win over rankings mainstay Calvin Kattar in a control-heavy showing. The former bantamweight champion has won 16 of his 20 UFC appearances and owns one of the best resumes in the lighter weight classes over the last five years.

This is a fascinating pairing (at least to me) because of the potential grappling interactions, as Evloev has always been able to turn to his wrestling in tight contests, but Sterling is a standout grappler in his own right that should present the Russian with various dilemmas on the ground. What might be most interesting to see is how things shake out if Evloev opts to strike and use his wrestling defensively in an attempt to keep things standing.

Randy Brown vs Bryan Battle

Randy Brown and Bryan Battle meet in a clash of surging welterweights looking to force their way into the rankings to wrap up the year.

Brown enters having won three straight and seven of his last eight appearances, with his only setback during that time coming against top contender Jack Della Maddalena. “Rudeboy” kicked off his 2024 slate with a stunning knockout win over Muslim Salikhov before out-hustling Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos last time out in a classic “good win that doesn’t make enough noise” type of effort.

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Conversely, Battle made all kinds of noise in his last outing, venturing to Paris and walloping Kevin Jousset before cutting a killer promo and establishing himself as a genuine person of interest in the 170-pound weight class. The former Ultimate Fighter winner is 4-1 with one no contest since shifting to the welterweight ranks, and a victory over Brown would be the biggest of his career.

Both Brown and Battle suffer from being slightly under the radar when it comes to breaking into the rankings, as each has done more than enough to merit consideration, but can’t seem to overtake Vicente Luque or Michael “Venom” Page. A dominant showing for either man here could change that, and set the victor up in an intriguing position to begin next year.

Ciryl Gane vs Alexander Volkov

More than three years after their first encounter, Ciryl Gane and Alexander Volkov will share the Octagon for a second time, with major questions swirling around each man as they ready to run it back.

Gane has been the absentee member of the heavyweight elite as things at the top of the division have been in flux over the last year, with this meeting with Volkov serving as his 2024 debut. The talented former interim champion looked hurried at times in his win over Serghei Spivac last year in Paris, so it will be interesting to see if a year away to reset brings a return to the form that carried him to 10 straight wins to begin his career.

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Volkov has gone 5-1 since his first encounter with Gane, winning four straight heading into this one with his lone defeat coming against interim champ Tom Aspinall. The towering Russian has shown a greater sense of urgency and more confidence in his weapons as of late, earning three straight finishes before picking apart his compatriot Sergei Pavlovich last time out in Saudi Arabia.

Shavkat Rakhmonov vs Ian Machado Garry

This is the kind of fight you don’t see too often in combat sports: a clash of undefeated contenders with a championship opportunity hanging in the balance.

Rakhmonov was initially scheduled to face Belal Muhammad for the welterweight title before the champion was sidelined, and now carries his 100 percent finishing rate into a showdown with his former training partner. The 30-year-old has shown throughout his unbeaten push to contention that he’s capable of winning in many different ways, and will look to become the first man to best the Irish standout at UFC 310.

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Originally paired off with Joaquin Buckley in the main event of the final show of 2024, Machado Garry circled into this co-main event assignment when Muhammad was forced out of his bout with Rakhmonov with a bone infection. “The Future” has picked up a pair of decision wins already this year, edging out Geoff Neal before wrestling a win away from Michael Page, and he can punch his ticket to a championship opportunity by handing Rakhmonov his first loss here.

Both men deserve all the praise in the world for signing up for this short notice pairing and putting their unbeaten records on the line in a non-title affair. Each has shown dynamic talent and sharp decision-making throughout their respective runs thus far, and it should be more of the same when they share the Octagon in this one.

Alexandre Pantoja vs Kai Asakura

Alexandre Pantoja welcomes Kai Asakura to the Octagon in the final championship bout of 2024.

The flyweight champion returned home to Rio de Janeiro to compete for the first time in his UFC career back in May, narrowly escaping with a unanimous decision victory over a game Steve Erceg. He’s won six straight overall and has a knack for finding ways to rise to the occasion in key moments, with his dogged grappling serving him well down the stretch of his title win over Brandon Moreno and his successful defense earlier this year.

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Asakura arrives in the UFC after a tremendous run under the Rizin Fighting Federation banner, where he posted a 13-3 record that included two bantamweight title wins and victories over Manel Kape, Kyoji Horiguchi, and Juan Archuleta. One key factor to note ahead of this one is that Asakura has not competed at flyweight in some time, so much like Kayla Harrison ahead of her promotional debut earlier this year, all eyes will be on the newcomer throughout UFC 310 fight week and on the scales on Friday, December 6.

While both men are undeniably well-rounded, this lays out as a classic “grappler versus striker” pairing, with the champion holding an edge on the ground and the challenger offering the more varied attacks on the feet. Can Pantoja successfully defend his title for a third time or will we head into next year with a new ruler upon the flyweight throne?

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Sean Woodson vs Fernando Padilla

We kick off the collection of fights that excite me on the final card of the year with a battle of tall, talented strikers in the featherweight division between Sean Woodson and Fernando Padilla.

It’s weird to say that Woodson has “quietly” gone unbeaten in six and owns a 6-1-1 record in the UFC (he’s 12-1-1 overall), but here we are. The St. Louis native has registered decision wins over Charles Jourdain and Alex Caceres already this year, and presents as a confounding challenge for anyone that steps into the Octagon with him because of his length, his boxing, and his overall output.

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Padilla has alternated wins and losses to begin his UFC tenure, stopping Julian Erosa in his debut before dropping a decision to Kyle Nelson last year at Noche UFC. He rebounded by drubbing Luis Pajuelo before choking him out earlier this year, and has the size and aggressive offensive arsenal to potentially match Woodson in this one.

Just as breaking into the welterweight rankings is difficult, cracking the Top 15 at featherweight has been a challenge, as well, as tenured veterans and aging competitors continue to hang onto their positions while guys like Woodson keep stacking wins. Whoever triumphs here will have a great case for earning a number next to their name, and, at the very least, should be fighting for a place in that exclusive group to start 2025.

Manel Kape vs Bruno Silva

A week after the flyweight title is up for grabs in the UFC 310 main event, divisional hopefuls Manel Kape and Bruno Silva will face off in what should be an explosive battle in Tampa.

Kape is one of the most confounding fighters on the UFC roster. A sublime offensive talent when he lets loose his weapons, “StarBoy” has struggled to make the divisional limit at times and been too hesitant to throw in others, leaving him currently stationed outside of the title picture, looking to rebound from a lackluster effort last time out at UFC 304.

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Silva touches down in Florida riding a four-fight winning streak where each of those victories has come by stoppage. Last time out in July, “Bulldog” was getting out-worked by Cody Durden, only to find his chin with an uppercut that flipped the fight on its head and opened the door for him to secure another victory.

If both men are locked in and willing to pull the trigger, this should be all kinds of exciting. With the division in the spotlight this month, here’s hoping we get the best possible version of this pairing when they hit the Octagon.

Joel Alvarez vs Drakkar Klose

The Department of Criminally Underrated Talents is proud to present this lightweight pairing between Joel Álvarez and Drakkar Klose, which lands on the preliminary card in Tampa next month.

Alvarez is 6-2 in the UFC, with wins over Joseph Duffy, Thiago Moises, and Elves Brener, while having lost to Damir Ismagulov in his debut and Arman Tsarukyan three fights back. He returned to action after more than a year on the sidelines in August, cutting through Brener in impressive fashion in Saudi Arabia to move to 21-3 overall and maintain his 100 percent finishing rate.

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The 36-year-old Klose has earned four straight wins, is 9-2 in the UFC, and 15-2-1 overall. His only loss in the last seven years came in his wildly entertaining back-and-forth with Beneil Dariush at UFC 248, and since then, the Michigan native and MMA Lab representative has posted two finishes and two decision wins to climb back to the doorstep of the Top 15.

Both Alvarez and Klose profile as the kind of miserable assignment few people want to undertake, which is why it’s not surprising they’re paired off against one another here. Each represents the toughest test the other has had in their last couple outings, so it will be interesting to see who rises to the challenge and keeps moving forward heading into next year.

Amanda Ribas vs Mackenzie Dern

Top 10 strawweights Amanda Ribas and Mackenzie Dern meet for a second time in the penultimate UFC pairing of 2024.

Ribas has spent the last several years bouncing between strawweight and flyweight, going 5-4 over the last five years, with three off those losses coming in the 125-pound weight class. She’s won each of her last two strawweight appearances, including getting the better of top contender Virna Jandiroba, and will look to bounce back from her loss to Rose Namajunas earlier this year in this rematch with Dern.

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Like Ribas, Dern has experienced mixed results over the last several years, breaking out of a 2-4 funk with a solid decision win over Loopy Godinez in August. The standout grappler is unquestionably tough and has flashed power, but is at her best when forcing her way inside and dragging opponents to the canvas.

These two first met all the way back in October 2019 in Dern’s first fight back after giving birth to her daughter. Ribas won the fight by unanimous decision, and it will be interesting to see how differently — if at all — things play out when they renew acquaintances here.

Colby Covington vs Joaquin Buckley

The final bout of the 2024 UFC calendar sees perennial welterweight contender Colby Covington return to take on surging hopeful Joaquin Buckley.

For the second consecutive year, Covington headlines the UFC’s final event, having landed on the wrong side of a bout with then-champion Leon Edwards at UFC 296 to wrap up 2023. “Chaos” has gone 2-3 over his last five outings, with each loss coming when welterweight gold was on the line, while he’s won nine straight non-title matchups heading into this one.

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Buckley made the decision to drop down to welterweight after back-to-back losses to Nassourdine Imavov and Chris Curtis, and has been on fire ever since. “New Mansa” enters his first UFC main event having earned five straight wins, most recently scoring a third-round knockout win over Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson at UFC 307 in Salt Lake City.

Will Covington continue to excel in non-title contests and halt Buckley’s ascent or will the streaking St. Louis native dispatch the former interim champion and move into title contention himself to close out the year?