UFC flyweight title challenger Kai Asakura doesn’t envision Alexandre Pantoja posing problems for him in any department this weekend.
Asakura will join the rare group of fighters to challenge for gold in their Octagon debut when he arrives on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage this Saturday night.
Following bantamweight championship success under the Rizin banner in Asia, the Japanese star will have the chance to add the UFC flyweight belt to his trophy cabinet in the UFC 310 main event.
The flyweight belt is up for grabs
@PantojaMMA vs @Kai_1031_
[ #UFC310 | LIVE DEC 7 on @ESPNPlus PPV | 10pmET ] pic.twitter.com/S8BJCRAJ3n
— UFC (@ufc) December 3, 2024
On paper, though, that will be no easy feat.
Asakura is coming up against a divisional kingpin who has gone 9-0 against names currently occupying spots inside the top 10 at 125 pounds. And since dethroning Brandon Moreno last year, Alexandre Pantoja has already pushed past challenges from Brandon Royval and Steve Erceg.
But judging by his remarks during an interview with E. Spencer Kyte for UFC.com, Asakura is seemingly expecting a relatively comfortable night at the office…
“Pantoja is great at everything, but he’s not special at anything; he doesn’t have a unique skill in one area that makes him better than anyone else,” Asakura said. “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,” Asakura continued. “The advantage I hold over Pantoja is that I have one-shot knockout power, so it only takes one shot,” he added. “And I’m expecting this fight to be over with one shot.”
Asakura will look to prove his assessment of Pantoja correct come fight night in “Sin City,” where the pair headline a pay-per-view lineup that also features the likes of Shavkat Rakhmonov, Ian Garry, Ciryl Gane, Bryce Mitchell, Aljamain Sterling and Chris Weidman.