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The battle of the Kai’s.
New Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) signee Kai Asakura makes his highly anticipated UFC debut against UFC Flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 310 on Dec. 9, 2024 from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Asakura’s automatic title shot was a surprise because UFC rarely books new fighters in title fights without making them fight once or twice. However, UFC CEO Dana White explained why this was an exception earlier this week.
“He’s a bad boy,’ White told MMAMania.com. “This isn’t a guy that needs to come in and be tested or figure it out. He’s one of the best in the world, and we’re going to find out that night if he’s the best in the world. “
While White and many mixed martial arts (MMA) fans are excited to see what Asakura can do inside UFC, a few Flyweights weren’t so pleased, including former Interim Flyweight title challenger Kai Kara-France, who is coming off a first-round knockout (watch highlights)
“My thoughts were: they got the wrong Kai,” Kara-France told Sky Sport NZ. “After my fight, I was calling for the title shot and was thinking, ‘Sweet, I got it.’ And then I heard they’re bringing in a guy from Japan and his name is Kai. Bro, he hasn’t even fought yet. I don’t think he’s earned it. You’ve got to at least show your worth or do something. And, you know, for guys that have been grinding for years in the Flyweight division, fighting the best guys, we’ve proved that we belong here. That’s just how I feel. It’s weird that you can come in off no fights in the UFC and get a title shot.”
While “Don’t Blink” makes a few good points, timing is everything in MMA, and Asakura has perfect timing. The top Flyweights were booked, and the champion wanted to fight in Dec. Also, Kara-France is 1-2 in his last three fights, eliminating him from the immediate conversation.
Unranked UFC Flyweight Charles Johnson, who fights this weekend at UFC Vegas 99, believes it is disrespectful for UFC to book Asakura for the title shot.
“First things first, Kai is a good martial artist; he’s great at what he does and is talented. I don’t give a f—k. This is the UFC,” Johnson told the media at UFC Vegas 99 media day. “So for a guy to come into the UFC and jump the line in front of a Brandon Royval, [Amir] Albazi, Kara-France – there are guys [who are ranked] at 8, 9, 10 that he can fight, and he if does well, throw him in there…the Flyweight decision is probably pound-for-pound one of the best weight class, skill for skill in this promotion and this is the best promotion in the world. So, for a guy to come in and not have any fights in this promotion and then fight for a belt is very disrespectful to the guys in the rankings. I’m looking at them like, ‘What the f—k ya’ll doing?’
