Opportunity Of A Lifetime
Fighting in the UFC for the first time can be a daunting prospect for any athlete, regardless of any previous stature or achievements. Octagon jitters have taken hold of many fighters over the years, even those who have made the transition from one of the other major promotions. To make your UFC debut as one part of a pay-per-view main event is almost unheard of, and not since Joe Soto replaced Renan Barao at short notice to challenge for T.J. Dillashaw’s bantamweight title back in 2014 has anyone entered the Octagon for the first time under such an intense spotlight.
Kai Asakura makes the leap into the big leagues for the first time this weekend to challenge Alexandre Pantoja for the UFC flyweight title. Asakura (21-4), the former Rizin bantamweight champion, has long been lauded as one of the most exciting talents outside of the UFC and has picked up victories over a litany of stellar names such as Kyoji Horiguchi, Manel Kape and Juan Archuleta.
The 31-year-old faces a monumental task as he looks to break Pantoja’s impressive winning streak. “The Cannibal” has had his hand raised following his last six fights and will be looking to successfully defend his championship belt for the third time. Pantoja won the title when he toppled Brandon Moreno at UFC 290 in July of 2023 and he has since beaten both Brandon Royval and Steve Erceg to remain at the top of the 125lb mountain.
Styles Make Fights
Asakura possesses the type of concussive power that isn’t easy to find in the lighter weight classes. The Japan Top Team star combines slick boxing, rapid handspeed and precision striking and has rattled off 13 KO/TKOs throughout his career. He has proven adept at timing knees (see his finish of Jaun Archuleta as an example) and uppercuts up the middle to stifle his opponent’s takedown attempts, a skill which may prove pivotal when he faces Pantoja this weekend.
While he is undoubtedly skilled enough to compete in the upper echelons of the UFC’s flyweight division, there are some question marks over how he may handle the transition from fighting in Japan. For starters, he has been competing predominantly at 134lbs for many years, and it remains to be seen if he can cut the extra 9lbs effectively after travelling Stateside without any detrimental effects on his ability to perform.
He has also been competing in a ring, rather than a cage and this will bring it’s own challenges. Footwork, angles, escapes/exits and the ability to cut off the ring/cage will all change drastically for Asakura this Saturday night. Some of his preferred weapons once the fight hits the canvas will also be unavailable. In Japan, soccer kicks and knees to the head of a grounded opponent have all been tools that Asakura has made full use of and he will have to completely alter his approach in these situations.
Breaking down the UFC 310 main event between Alexandre Pantoja and Kai Asakura pic.twitter.com/0UVme4e36M
— Paul Browne (@BJJ_Browner) December 5, 2024
These adjustments would ideally be ironed out of Asakura’s game over the course of a number of training camps and fights against mid-tier opponents, with a view to challenging for the title once he has fully acclimatised to life inside the Octagon. He won’t be allowed that time to adjust however, and faces a baptism of fire this Saturday.
Pantoja’s style will be very familiar to UFC fans. The Brazilian is somewhat of a berserker who works relentlessly to overwhelm his opponents. He throws punches in bunches to disguise his takedown attempts and sometimes favors bodylock-style takedowns, rather than a Khamzat Chimaev-esque long range shot. Once on the ground, Pantoja is a master at controlling his opponents from top position and has submitted several high-profile fighters such as Brandon Royval and Alex Perez.
Much has been made of the fact that he may be outsized by Asakura on Saturday night. Pantoja is a full three inches shorter than the challenger but we had a sneak peak at how he might handle that situation earlier this year when he faced Steve Erceg. “Astro Boy” is the same height as Asakura (although he perhaps lacks the reach that the Japanese star brings to the table) and Pantoja was able to outwork him over the course of five full rounds at UFC 301 in his native Rio de Janeiro in May.
Given the option, Kai Asakura may have preferred to dip his toes in the water first before fully submerging himself in the UFC’s flyweight title picture, but come Saturday night it will be a case of having to ‘sink or swim’ for the mercurial Japanese talent.
