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A ‘New’ Kai Asakura Is Ready To Establish Himself
After Fighting For The Title In His Octagon Debut, Kai Asakura Is Eager To Climb The Flyweight Rankings Starting With A Win At UFC 319: Du Plessis vs Chimaev
Alexandre Pantoja’s title reign has created a handful of unique circumstances in the flyweight title picture. Because the Brazilian took a longer path to gold, he faced several of the current contenders in and around the top 5, so when he scored wins in rematches over Brandon Moreno and Brandon Royval, the promotion reached into the well of talent at 125 pounds in 2024.
First came Steve Erceg, the unassuming Australian who picked up three wins in his first three Octagon appearances. Less than a year into his UFC tenure, “Astroboy” got a shot at Pantoja at UFC 301 in Brazil, pushing “The Cannibal” to the brink but ultimately falling short. With no clear contender in sight, UFC looked beyond its roster and brought in Japanese superstar Kai Asakura for an immediate crack at the belt.
With a large fanbase and extensive highlight reel in tow, Asakura made his UFC debut under the brightest spotlight possible, challenging for the title at UFC 310 in Las Vegas. However, he became another name added to Pantoja’s extensive list of victims despite an early bright moment. The task was tall, but the disappointment crashed just as hard.
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Asakura, still just 31, has all the goods to potentially bring a UFC belt back to Japan, but he’ll have to take a more conventional path to it, starting with his matchup with Tim Elliott at UFC 319: Du Plessis vs Chimaev.
“I had a very good chance last time,” Asakura told UFC.com. “I got lots of lessons and learned a lot, and I’ve grown up since then. I have lots of stuff (to show) in this fight.”
Ironically, he faces a man who knows what it’s like to get thrown into a title fight fire. Elliott, the winner of The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions, earned a chance to fight longtime flyweight king Demetrious Johnson when he came out of the show on top, but ultimately fell via decision.
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Since then, Elliott established himself in and around the flyweight rankings. In nearly nine years on the roster, Eliott has scored wins and performance bonuses for his efforts against Louis Smolka, Mark De La Rosa and, most recently, Sumudaerji.
Asakura, well-aware of Elliott’s quirky style, is curious about testing himself against the veteran.
“He’s a little bit of a weird fighter,” he said. “It should be a pretty good and fun fight.”
Always the entertainer, Asakura is hopeful his sophomore appearance not only ends with his hand raised, but a win in spectacular fashion. He feels like he still needs to show the more UFC-inclined fanbase what he is all about. Those who are knowledgeable of his body of work know what that means, but the unaware could be in for a treat on August 16.
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Ever-confident, Asakura also believes he is much more comfortable not only within the UFC machine but also getting back down to the flyweight limit. The bout against Pantoja was his first in the division since March 2017, so after making a handful of changes, he feels ready to show “a new Kai Asakura.”
“It’s not that big of a difference between what I should do and what I want to do (in the fight),” Asakura said of his approach against Elliott. “It’s the same thing. I’m going to knock him out, and that’s it.”
The Japan Top Team representative is excited to climb the flyweight ladder, one that remains wide-open as Pantoja stares down a matchup with the red-hot youngster Joshua Van.
Order UFC 319: Du Plessis vs Chimaev
Pantoja has established himself as the greatest flyweight champion since “Mighty Mouse,” and that means Asakura could very well work his way into a rematch with the champion. That’s all to come, though. To reach that ultimate goal, Asakura is first focused on getting his first victory in the Octagon, and if he has his choice, that success is going to come in jaw-dropping fashion.
“I have dreamed to be a UFC champion,” Asakura said. “I’m happy to be fighting here. I’m going to show my skills and everything in the Octagon.”
UFC 319: Du Plessis vs Chimaev took place live from United Center in Chicago, Illinois on August 16, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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