Alexandre Pantoja faces a new threat to his undisputed flyweight title reign at UFC 310, and he can’t wait for the challenge ahead.
Pantoja will look to complete the third straight defense of his 125-pound crown when he faces former RIZIN FF bantamweight champion Kai Asakura in the main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
Order UFC 310: Pantoja vs Asakura
“A Las Vegas main event…I feel like Elvis Presley!” Pantoja told UFC.com ahead of fight night in Las Vegas.
“It’s going to be my third fight at T-Mobile Arena, and I love it. I love the moment, the feeling, my family’s coming, everybody’s super-excited. It’s before Christmas, so it’s much better. Let’s go!”
The assignment for Pantoja this weekend is different to most challenges a UFC champion would normally face. Typically, fighters have to work their way up the rankings to earn a shot at the belt. But this weekend, Japanese superstar Asakura arrives in the UFC to challenge for the flyweight title in his Octagon debut.
I’m defending my belt against another fighter that came (straight) from another promotion, and a former champ from another promotion. That’s huge,” he said.
“A lot of fans talk about levels – bringing some other champ from another promotion to fight with the UFC champ – and we’re gonna figure that out on Saturday.”
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Seasoned fans of the sport beyond the eight caged walls of the Octagon will know all about Asakura. The 31-year-old from Tokyo arrives in the UFC as a bonafide superstar in his native Japan, where he became a two-time bantamweight champion for Japanese promotion RIZIN FF. His 21-4 record includes 13 knockouts and three submissions, and he’s shared the ring with a number of respected names in the sport.
Pantoja is well aware of Asakura’s body of work, and is suitably impressed.
“Kai Asakura is an amazing fighter,” he said.
“He’s fought so many good guys, and especially because he’s coming from bantamweight, I’m expecting a huge opponent.
I want to show my level. That’s why I’m fighting in the UFC, to fight the best fighters in the world. And I get that Kai Asakura is an opportunity for me to show that. It brings someone new, a champion from Asia, and I have the opportunity to fight with him. I love that.”
Pantoja also said that Asakura will also bring a different style of fighting to the Octagon, and the level of threat he brings has caused Pantoja to push himself to new heights in the gym ahead of Saturday’s title clash.
“He fights like the old fighters in PRIDE,” he explained.
Saturday's Full Fight Card Preview
“That's what everybody wants to watch. That fighting style is aggressive, he comes to put everything in the Octagon. He fought one of my teammates, Kyoji Horiguchi. He, for me, is one of the best fighters in the world.
"Then I get (Kyoji’s) advice, because he knocked out Kyoji and then I realized I have a true fighter Saturday. And that made me train very hard. And, of course, I’ve evolved my game for the fight.
“Maybe people don't realize how good Kai Asakura is. Maybe people think it’s a different level between RIZIN and UFC. But I think when the guy earned the title in a big promotion in Asia, he’s ready for the UFC. I know that, and that’s made me very strong, too.
Everything about Asakura made me train more. I don't want to make mistakes, thinking, ‘I’m at the high level, he’s not at my level.’ It’s not about that.
“I know how good Asakura is. He fought Manel Kape. He fought one of my best teammates, Kyoji Horiguchi. And I realize I have a tough, tough challenge. That’s what I want. I want to conquer this belt one more time. My team is super excited. I’m ready.”
Alexandre Pantoja Fighter Profile
Asakura is arriving in the UFC looking to make an instant impact, but making the switch from the RIZIN FF ring to the UFC’s Octagon is a formidable transition. For Pantoja, meanwhile, the Octagon is home.
“We watched a couple of fights with Asakura, and we saw a couple of times he tried to escape the ring, trying to put his arm out, or his head. He can’t do that in the Octagon,” said Pantoja.
I don’t think about this as an advantage for me. But, for me, I love fighting in the Octagon. When the Octagon door is locked, I feel freedom. I can do whatever I want. We have the judges. We have the doctors to stop the fight. I can put everything out there. I listen to my coach, but it’s my decisions. I love to feel that. Everything is in my hands. That’s like a superpower.”
Pantoja plans on using that superpower to claim another big title fight victory on Saturday night in a matchup that has captured the imagination of the MMA world. Pantoja certainly counts himself among those who are excited for the contest, and revealed his challenger mentality as, in his mind, he prepares to become champion again, even though he enters the bout as the defending champ.
“I’m ready to advance in the pound-for-pound rankings. I’m here for that,” he said.
“I know how good I am (and) how well my coaches prepared me to fight for the belt again. I have the opportunity to prove I’m champion of the world, again.
“That's the mindset we have in the gym, in training camp, all the time. We have the opportunity to fight for the belt one more time, and that’s what I think.
“When we scheduled the fight, me and Asakura have one hand on the belt, because when you fight it’s a 50-50 all the time. I want to put my two hands on the belt again. I want to prove I’m the world champion again.”
UFC 310: Pantoja vs Asakura took place live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on December 7, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
