Kai Asakura will fight for the flyweight title on his UFC debut.
The 30-year-old Japanese fighter announced in June 2024 that he would be leaving his former promotion, Rizin, for the UFC.
Asakura is a two-time Rizin bantamweight championGetty
Asakura has won 13 of his 21 professional MMA bouts by knockout, with his last two wins coming, uniquely, via a knee to the body.
Asakura is part of a surging Japanese MMA scene and will be aiming to become Japan’s first UFC champion when he faces Alexandre Pantoja in December.
UFC President Dana White announced the fight alongside the main event for UFC 310 in Las Vegas.
“Listen to me everybody. Nobody wanted to fight him [Asakura], but Pantoja is an absolute badass and agreed to the fight,” White said.
Pantoja has the second most wins in UFC flyweight history and won the belt for the first time against Brandon Moreno at UFC 290 in July 2023.
The 34-year-old has since defended the belt on two separate occasions, beating both Brandon Royval and Steve Erceg by unanimous-decision after five-round battles.
The Brazilian has never been finished during his MMA career and has won 10 of his 32 career bouts via submission.
Royval, UFC’s No.1 ranked flyweight, was victorious over Japan’s Tatsuro Taira on Saturday night after a five-round brawl.
Taira was undefeated going into the fight having made his UFC debut in May 2022.
It is very likely that we will see the winner of Pantoja vs Asakura fight Royval for the title in their next fight.
The Japanese MMA star usually wins his bouts via KOGetty
Pantoja retained his flyweight belt against Australia’s Erceg last time outGetty
Elsewhere on the card for UFC 310, Belal Muhammad will defend his welterweight belt for the first time against Shavkat Rakhmonov in the main event.
No.2 ranked heavyweight Ciryl Gane faces No.3 ranked Alexander Volkov and Nick Diaz returns for the first time in three years to fight Vicente Luque.
Muhammad won the welterweight title via unanimous-decision after a five-round bout with Birmingham’s Leon Edwards at UFC 304 in Manchester.
He is on an 11-fight win streak that has lasted for over six years.
Kazakhstan’s Rakhmonov, meanwhile, is undefeated in all 18 of his professional MMA bouts, having finished every single one of his opponents.
He won half of those fights in the first round and 10 of them via submission.
Rakhmonov last appeared in the octagon against Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson in December 2023, submitting the UFC veteran via rear naked choke in the first round.
