Ahead of every championship fight, UFC staff writer E. Spencer Kyte sits down with one of the sharpest coaching minds in the sport to break down the action and provide UFC fans with insights into each championship pairing from the men that spend their days getting these elite athletes prepared to compete on the biggest stage in the sport. In advance of this weekend’s flyweight title clash between defending champ Alexandre Pantoja and debuting challenger Kai Asakura, Kyte called upon TUF alum and UFC veteran Eliot Marshall, who now serves as the co-owner and head instructor at Easton Training Center in Denver, to provide his thoughts on four points of interest heading into the final championship fight of 2024.

Anthony Smith was in Long Island when he got the news. Training with Ray Longo and his team last month, light heavyweight contender was looking to have fun by adding new wrinkles to his game, and the call came in that his longtime coach Scotty Morton had died suddenly after suffering a heart attack.  Pantoja vs Asakura “Him and I have trained every day or twice a day, damn near on average, six days a week since I was 17 years old,” said Smith of Morton, a renowned jiu-jitsu black belt and a fixture on the grappling and MMA scenes in Nebraska. “And he was my coach, but that was one of the smaller parts of what he was. That guy was my best friend. He was my mentor / older brother / father figure.” Smith caught the first flight he could back to Nebraska. And once home, he tore into training for his Saturday fight with Dominick Reyes with an added intensity. Not because it’s an important fight, but because it’s what Morton would have wanted. “He was the glue that held us all together,” said Smith. “And we just really leaned into training. We haven’t missed a day and haven’t missed a session since he died. It’s like everyone’s wrapping their arms around me and we’re just doing this together.” Training for Reyes has been a good distraction for the 36-year-old, a way to occupy his mind during the long days leading up to fight night. As for the nights, that was another story.

Morton did want Smith to hang the gloves up after his loss a year ago to Khalil Rountree Jr. But after some heart-to-heart talks, Morton agreed to stay on board with Smith continuing to fight. With one condition. “The deal was that he got to pick the matchups,” said Smith. “If we get a fight and it’s a no, then it’s a no.” Reyes, a former light heavyweight title challenger who nearly beat Jon Jones in 2020, got a yes from Morton. So he got a yes from Smith, as well. “He just liked the matchup,” said Smith. “He liked it when I fight southpaws, and when I have time to prepare for them. He liked the grappling edge. He liked the predictability of Reyes. He liked the holes in his game, both wrestling and striking, and he liked the name value that it brings. It’s a guy that I can get up for.” Smith will have to be up for the fight, because Reyes is brimming with confidence following a knockout win over Dustin Jacoby that snapped a four-fight losing streak. Throw in the talent and power Reyes brings to the Octagon, and anything less than Smith’s best won’t be enough. And so for the penultimate time this year, allow me to introduce you to three athletes set to make the walk this weekend that are trending upwards, with the potential to make waves this weekend and beyond. This is the UFC 310 edition of Fighters on the Rise.