In case you missed it:
RIZIN bantamweight champion Kai Asakura will relinquish his title and move to UFC.
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June 9, 2024
The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s bantamweight division is set to get an upgrade.
Rizin Fighting Federation champion Kai Asakura announced he would be giving up his belt to sign with UFC on Sunday at Rizin 47. The Las Vegas-based organization has not formally announced the acquisition. In his farewell speech, Asakura paid tribute to the organization and Rizin CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara.
“I’m giving up my belt and going to UFC,” Asakura said. “I think there will be an announcement from UFC soon, but I’m officially going. It should be good news, but right now I feel very lonely. I think it’s thanks to RIZIN that I, who was originally nobody, was recognized as a fighter, a combative, and a man. And last year on New Year’s Eve, it was Sakakibara-san who accepted my selfish wish to go to UFC without having defended my title before. I’d like to express my sincere gratitude to Sakakibara-san for his support. Thank you so much.”
The 30-year-old Asakura is a two-time RIZIN bantamweight champion. He regained the title with a second-round TKO of Juan Archuleta at RIZIN 45 in December 2023. A product of Japan Top Team, Asakura boasts a 21-4 career record, including 13-3 in RIZIN and stints with Road FC and RINGS. His resume includes wins over the likes of Manel Kape, Kyoji Horiguchi, Hiromasa Ogikubo, Tomoki Motoya, Yuta Sasaki and Archuleta.
