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If you’ve never seen Kai Asakura fight, ESPN and RIZIN have released a treasure trove of highlights ahead of UFC 310

Admin 4 hours ago

4 1 minute read

The upcoming UFC PPV features a very special newcomer in the main event; a former RIZIN bantamweight champion, whose promotional debut will take place against 'The Cannibal' with flyweight gold on the line.

Considering that the UFC has a predominantly North American fan base, a significant portion of UFC 310 viewers will have never seen Kai Asakura fight before. Fortunately, the broadcast partners appear to have struck a deal as highlights from their careers make their way online.

Photo by Etsuo Hara/Getty Images

Kai Asakura's incredible MMA career on display ahead of the UFC 310 title fight

Only a handful of fighters have ever fought for a UFC title in their promotional debut, with Japanese phenom Kai Asakura set to join that select group when the promotion returns to T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on December 7.

“There are a lot of people who are exposed to me for the first time [at UFC 310] and they will realize that I have an explosive fighting style,” Asakura teased in a recent interview with TMZ Sports.

“I think they're going to see something they've never seen before – and I want them to become my fans after this fight.”

But why wait until Saturday to become an Asakura superfan when you could hop on the Japanese fighter's hype train today?

In recent weeks, ESPN MMA has been busy sharing a host of full fights and fight highlights from Asakura's 13-3 RIZIN career – a career that has seen him claim bantamweight gold twice.

Although Asakura made a name for himself thanks to his devastating knockout power, that doesn't mean the 31-year-old had it all his way, dropping results to Hiromasa Ougikubo, top UFC contender Manel Kape, and even the legendary Kyoji Horiguchi .

Alexandre Pantoja even has the advantage of insider knowledge after working with Horiguchi to help him prepare for the promotional newcomer.

While Pantoja remains one of the most popular fighters in the division, Asakura recently told MMA Junkie that he believes it would be “good business” for the UFC if he were to claim the flyweight title on December 7.

“Let's be honest, it's a good thing for the UFC if I win [because] I'm here to make it exciting so people are interested in the flyweight division and have a whole bunch of new matchups lined up for future shows.

“I hope that one day Dana White will turn to the public and say that this kid is a special KO artist, a KO machine,” Asakura continued, as the sound of his 2021 knockout of Shooto Watanabe still sounded true to those words.

His last fight took place on New Year's Eve 2023, a brutal second-round knockout of former Bellator champion Juan Archuleta.

UFC 310: Pantoja vs Asakura takes place on Saturday, December 7 – live from Las Vegas.