The origins of Kai Asakura’s MMA career are very interesting.
Asakura will take on Alexandre Pantoja for the flyweight strap in the main event of UFC 310 on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The former RIZIN Fighting Federation champion will also make his UFC debut against “The Cannibal.”
Asakura recently revealed how street fights with his brother helped him realize his MMA potential. Asakura’s older brother, Mirai Asakura, went from being a street fighter to becoming a professional MMA fighter. On a fateful day, Mikuru challenged her brother to a street fight when he had no other opponents. Kai claims that he was able to avoid almost all of the strikes from Mikuru, who was pitching seriously. It was then that the future UFC title challenger realized he could earn his living through fighting.
“The story of how I got interested in MMA is pretty crazy,” Asakura said on the UFC 310 countdown show. “My brother used to fight in the streets every day. He defeated everyone and there was no one left to fight. Then one day, my brother called me into town in the middle of the night. Suddenly, he asked me to box. He gave me gloves. He was really trying to kill me with every blow. I was able to dodge everything. It was the first time I had ever been in a real fight. I realized that there is great potential.”
Mikuru has 1 win and 2 losses since 2023, and just lost by first-round knockout to Ren Hiramoto under the RIZIN banner in July of this year.
Kai, on the other hand, finished with 15 of his 21 career wins and was on a two-fight win streak heading into his UFC debut. Pantoja is unbeaten in six games since 2020, including winning the title and defending it twice.
