The bantamweight division in MMA has become the most exciting. Sean O’Malley in UFC, Patchy Mix in Bellator, and Fabricio Andrade in One Championship are some of the best in the world. Kai Asakura, the RIZIN bantamweight champion, is also in the discussion.
Asakura has fought some of the best fighters despite not being in the bigger promotions. In his latest fight, he defeated Juan Archuleta, the former bantamweight champion, to claim the RIZIN title. Moreover, he had also fought Manel Kape and Kyoji Horiguchi, though he lost both fights.
Kai Asakura signs with the UFC
Asakura has been one of the big stars at RIZIN, the spiritual successor of Pride FC, once the biggest MMA promotion. The UFC has a penchant for signing top stars from RIZIN, evidenced by the acquisitions of Jiri Prochazka and Manel Kape. The UFC has now acquired a talented acquisition in Kai Asakura, as revealed by the fighter himself.
“I am giving up my belt and going to the UFC. I think there will be an announcement from the UFC soon…I will definitely become a champion at the UFC,” said Asakura while inside the ring at the recently concluded Rizin 47, thanking Nobuyuki Sakakibara, the founder of Rizin, for accepting his decision to ply his trade overseas.
It remains to be seen where Asaukra will compete in the UFC. Even though he was a Rizin bantamweight champion, Manel Kape came to the UFC and fought at flyweight because the UFC insisted on it, as revealed by the fighter on the JAXXON podcast.
The bantamweight division has a plethora of contenders in the UFC, but the flyweight needs firepower. Alexandre Pantoja, the champion, has multiple wins over the top 10 contenders, the latest at UFC 302. Nonetheless, Asakura’s addition will bring excitement wherever he fights.
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