Highlights! Pantoja Sleeps Asakura, Calls Out ‘Mighty Mouse’

Alexandre Pantoja put on a clinic last night (Sat., Dec. 7, 2024) at UFC 310 LIVE on ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV) from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, stopping former RIZIN bantamweight champion Kai Asakura with a phenomenal second-round submission (rear-naked choke).

Casual fight fans weren’t sure what to expect from Asakura in his Octagon debut, but hardcore enthusiasts knew the Japanese knockout artist would come out firing. That’s exactly what Asakura did as he burst out of the gate with a blistering jumping knee, but Pantoja quickly responded with a clean left hand along the cage that caught the newcomer’s attention.

Pantoja channeled more of his grappling in the second round as the champion grabbed a hold of Asakura along the cage and dragged him to the canvas. The Brazilian ended up in back control with a body triangle. It was not a good position for Asakura, who had never been submitted coming into his UFC debut.

Unfortunately for Asakura, Pantoja is the best fighter he’s ever faced and was simply too much on the ground. The reigning UFC flyweight champion ended up choking Asakura to sleep as he walked away with his third-straight title defense. After the fight, Pantoja surprisingly called out former UFC flyweight champion, Demetrious Johnson, who retired from MMA earlier this year.

Check out the video highlights below:

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For complete UFC 310 results, coverage, and highlights, click HERE.