Kai Asakura has something that is almost unheard of at flyweight- one-punch knockout power. To be fair, the Japanese MMA phenom has fought mostly at bantamweight and will be cutting a lot of weight to make the 125-pound flyweight limit. This is why many are questioning whether or not the former Rizin star’s power will translate to the lower division.
After all, Asakura wasn’t just a bantamweight prior to joining the UFC, but a big bantamweight at that. And since he is slimming down to fight UFC flyweight champ Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 310 on Saturday, most fans feel Asakura’s power would be the determining in the fight. But the man himself is totally unconcerned. In fact he is totally confident that not only will be punching at maximum capacity against Pantoja, but it will also help him finish the reigning champ early.
Alexandre Pantoja and Kai Asakura face off one final time before their title fight at #UFC310
Who wins and how?? pic.twitter.com/dMnxbSEuXJ
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) December 7, 2024
“What makes him better than anyone else is his heart — he’s got great heart, and that’s what makes him a great champion. But I don’t see him representing any problems for me anywhere. He’s someone I don’t think I’ll have any problem dealing with. The advantage I hold over Pantoja is that I have one-shot knockout power, so it only takes one shot. And I’m expecting this fight to be over with one shot,” Asakura told the UFC in an interview. Or at least that is what he is hoping. The alternative, after all, is pretty bleak for Asakura.
Can Kai Asakura stop the unstoppable Alexandre Pantoja
Kai Asakura is facing undoubtedly the most durable and resilient opponent of his career on Saturday. After all, Pantoja has a legendary chin and seemingly doesn’t know the meaning of the word ‘quit’. Well known for charging at his opponents wildly, creating chaos, and somehow coming out on top, ‘The Cannibal’ is a very real and lethal problem for Asakura.
Unless the Japanese dynamo can hurt Pantoja early and make him hesitant to charge him. Even then, there will be the Brazilian champ’s world-class BJJ to contend with which Asakura will undoubtedly be troubled by. After all, the former Rizin star is a sharp and dynamic striker but doesn’t have much of a ground game.
This is why his power will be so crucial. If he can indeed catch Pantoja clean with the same type of power he has shown at 135lbs, it could very well make him a champion. But if not, Asakura is likely to find out the hard way just how nightmarishly tough Pantoja is, and why ‘The Cannibal’ has cleared out the division. What do you think about Kai Asakura’s claims of knocking out Pantoja early?
The post “I Don’t See Him Representing Any Problems” – Japan’s Kai Asakura Takes Alexandre Pantoja Rivalry a Notch Up at UFC 310 appeared first on EssentiallySports.
