Japan’s Kai Asakura began his profession in avenue preventing and by no means anticipated himself to go professional. As a substitute, he was thrust ahead by these round him who acknowledged his innate expertise. Toyohashi streets, The Outsider, Rizin, and the UFC have all felt the ability of Asakura. That is his story from the streets to the UFC.
Kai Asakura
Raised alongside his older brother Mikuru, the 2 had been no strangers to battle. Their mom tried to enroll them in boxing however it simply didn’t stick. Kai Asakura recalled his popularity in an interview:
“From elementary school, we were constantly having bloody fights with each other. We were having high-level fights all the time.”
“Every time I went to local festivals, I would get challenged to fights. Although I was small in stature, I never backed down because I had guts. Once, when I heard that my friends were being beaten up, I rushed alone to help them in about 7 minutes. Looking back, it’s embarrassing, but at that time as a first-year high school student, I thought delinquents who were strong in fights were cool (laughs).”
Combating His Brother
Mikuru, an area legend in avenue preventing and hung out in a juvenile detention heart. Kai continued:
“The way I started martial arts is crazy. My brother was fighting on the streets every day, and no one could beat him. One night, he called me out to the street. Suddenly, he handed me boxing gloves and started hitting me with the intention of killing me. But I was able to dodge all of his attacks. This was my first real fight in my life. That’s when I realized I had real potential as a fighter.”
Kai Asakura, who had at all times been a fast learner, confronted off towards Mikuru in a no-holds-barred avenue combat. Regardless of his brother’s superior expertise, Kai’s agility and pace shocked him. That combat was the second Mikuru realized that his youthful brother was a pressure to be reckoned with.
His subsequent transfer was a go to to the Zendokai dojo. Inside months, he was already profitable tournaments, shortly gaining recognition in Japan’s MMA scene. However even then, Kai Asakura knew the journey was removed from over. He wanted to commit so he give up his job and devoted himself to coaching martial arts.
“In my that environment where I can only train 2 hours a day, I can’t beat truly strong opponents. I don’t want to have regrets by not doing what I want to do. If I’m going to do martial arts, I have to win. We only have one life, so I’ve made up my mind!”
The Outsider
Kai Asakura’s journey subsequent took him to THE OUTSIDER, a company recognized for showcasing fighters who got here from a delinquent background. With fast wins, his popularity grew much more.
In 2019, Jordan Breen defined the intention of THE OUTSIDER:
“Maeda’s purpose with The Outsider was, because the promotional title suggests, to take marginalized newbie fighters, individuals on the fringes of society – usually miscreants and outright gangsters – and provides them a reputable venue to combat. It appeared like a loopy concept, although Maeda’s whole skilled livelihood has hinged on having outdoors the field concepts that others thought silly. In actually the very first combat in Outsider historical past, in March 2008, unassuming kindergarten trainer Tsubasa Akiyama choked out native gangster Takahiro Kuroishi in 84 seconds. This immediately led to Kuroishi’s gangster comrades dashing the ring and making an attempt to instigate a brawl. The die had been forged.
“Over the next two years, the brothers cut their teeth there before making the jump to being full-time pros, where they’ve steadily improved ever since. They’ve shed their gaudy yakuza-ikemen haircuts and jewelry they sported in their tenure with the promotion and, by and large, harnessed their wild aggression into becoming sturdy, explosive sprawl and brawlers.”
MMA
Kai Asakura was later signed by RIZIN after which his story grew to become rather more well known. Kai snapped a fighter’s jaw with a punch and knocked out champion Kyoji Horiguchi, amongst many different unbelievable wins. After clearing out the division he walked right into a UFC title shot in his debut match. This weekend, Kai Asakura will look to take the UFC flyweight world championship in a five-round battle towards Brazil’s Alexandre Pantoja.
The explanation Kai Asakura’s story resonates a lot with followers is as a result of he’s a name again to a former period. He isn’t a fighter who spent many years within the gymnasium, kicking pads since he may stroll. As a substitute, he barely tried at school and didn’t even wish to be a fighter. He brawled on the streets and carved out his pure expertise.
Now he’s on the pinnacle of MMA. From battling his brother Mikuru within the streets to changing into a world MMA star, Kai has proven what it means to rise above challenges. By turning a tricky upbringing right into a disciplined profession, he’s impressed followers in all places. Now, as he prepares for a UFC title combat, Kai Asakura proves that greatness can come from probably the most surprising locations.
