UFC newcomer Kai Asakura plans to place his knockout energy on show in opposition to flyweight titleholder Alexandre Pantoja.
After making a reputation for himself underneath the RIZIN FF banner, capturing the promotion’s bantamweight title on two separate events and stacking our bodies with a slew of highlight-reel knockouts, Asakura makes his UFC debut on the promotion’s last pay-per-view occasion of the yr on December 7.
However he’s not simply preventing on the cardboard — he’s headlining it.
Asakura steps into the primary occasion highlight in his first UFC outing and plans on bringing the flyweight championship again house to Japan, turning into the primary Japanese-born fighter to take action within the UFC’s trendy period.
Waiting for their extremely anticipated conflict at UFC 310 in Las Vegas, Asakura made a reasonably daring prediction for his promotional premiere.
“I don’t see him [Pantoja] representing any problems for me anywhere,” Asakura advised the UFC throughout a current interview. “He’s somebody I don’t suppose I’ll have any drawback coping with. The benefit I maintain over Pantoja is that I’ve one-shot knockout energy, so it solely takes one shot and I’m anticipating this struggle to be over with one shot…
“I know in the history of the UFC, there have been many famous knockout scenes, but I’m hoping that at UFC 310, I can add my finish to those highlight reels.”
Kai Asakura warns followers to not blink throughout last UFC title struggle of 2024
Asakura, 31, is 21-4 in his blended martial arts profession with 13 of his victories coming by the use of knockout. His final look got here at RIZIN 45 when he scored a second-round TKO in opposition to former Bellator champion Juan Archuleta. Asakura additionally holds victories over Manel Kape and Kyoji Horiguchi.
“Since I started fighting, I always wanted to be the best in the world [and] to me, it would all be meaningless unless I reached the very top,” Asakura mentioned in a promo hyping his conflict with Pantoja. “I’m here to become UFC champion, I have a stronger will than anybody else. I know how to achieve my goals and that’s all I’m focused on.”
