Asakura looks to dethrone ‘The Cannibal’

On his promotional debut, Kai Asakura will look to dethrone Flyweight Champion Alexandre ‘The Cannibal’ Pantoja in the main event of UFC 310, set for the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday morning.

Asakura (21-4) was the bantamweight champion in Japan’s Rizin Fighting Federation before switching to UFC, but has nonetheless received some ‘heat’ from pundits and other flyweight fighters who feel that the 31-year-old has ‘jumped the queue’ to get a shot at the gold.

However, UFC boss Dana White has rejected this notion: “We are talking about the Japanese kid. He is a bad boy, you know. He isn’t a guy that needs to come in and be tested or figure out if he is one of the best in the world.

“We are going to find out that night if he is the best in the world. Timing plays a factor, but I think it wouldn’t have mattered when he came in. He was going to a title shot no matter who the champion was.”

Pantoja (28-5) is looking to make a third successful defence of his flyweight title, and believes a fresh face (Asakura) in the flyweight division makes for an exciting match.

“I think it’s all about time,” said the 34-year-old Brazilian. “In that time right now, I think it makes sense.”

He added, “This time, nobody can say nothing. And it’s good for the whole division, too, because after my fight with Asakura, everybody is going to get the opportunity to fight with this guy, too. He’s good for the whole division.”

In the co-main, the undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov will face fellow rising star Ian Machado Garry for a five-round welterweight title eliminator. Rakhmonov was supposed to face Belal Muhammad for a title match, but the Welterweight Champion pulled out due to injury.

Rakhmonov (18-0) was last in action in December 2023, submitting Stephen Thompson in the second round to become the first fighter to defeat ‘Wonderboy’ by that method in his fabled MMA career.

His list of recent victims also includes high-class fighters Geoff Neal and Neil Magny, and ‘Nomad’ has been labelled the ‘boogeyman’ of the welterweight division.

However, Garry (15-0) is also unbeaten in his professional MMA career and has also downed the likes of Neal and Magny, making this fight truly worthy of a five-round billing – with the winner going on to face Muhammad next year.

“I’m very disappointed in our division. Belal, Leon, Colby, Kamaru, Jack, Sean - you’ve all let fans down. The only one who backed up his words is Ian, and I respect that. But make no mistake, I’m coming for your 0 and will fight for the belt after,” Rakhmonov wrote on Twitter.

The rest of the main card features a high-class heavyweight bout between Ciryl Gane and Alexander Volkov; as well as Nate Landwehr v Choi Doo-ho and Bryce Mitchell v Kron Gracie, both in the featherweight division.

UFC 310 – Main card

- Main event: Flyweight championship: Alexandre Pantoja v Kai Asakura

- Co-main: Welterweight: Shavkat Rakhmonov v Ian Machado Garry

- Heavyweight: Ciryl Gane v Alexander Volkov

- Featherweight: Bryce Mitchell v Kron Gracie

- Featherweight: Nate Landwehr v Choi Doo-ho