
Kai
Asakura believes he has found the right weight class for
himself.
Asakura (22-6) took on Cameron
Smotherman in a bantamweight tilt at
UFC Macau on Saturday Asakura violently knocked out Smotherman
less than two minutes into the opening round, also earning himself
a $100,000 performance bonus. The Japanese standout believes he may
finally have found his right weight class after moving up from
flyweight.
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“Having moved up to this division and having actually done this
fight, I definitely do feel like this is the right one for me,”
Asakura said in a post-fight interview with the UFC. “I think in
terms of the power, the strength and the speed this division is
right for me.”
Asakura came to the
UFC as the highly-touted
Rizin Fighting Federation bantamweight champion. However,
Asakura started his UFC career at flyweight, where he took on the
toughest matchup, challenging Alexandre
Pantoja for the title in 2024. Pantoja derailed Asakura’s hype
train by putting him to sleep with a rear-naked choke. Asakura then
faced Tim Elliott
at UFC 319 last year. Elliott forced Asakura to tap with a
guillotine choke.
“This was always my dream.“
Kai
Asakura (@kai_1031_)
secures his first UFC win with a devastating knockout of Cameron
Smotherman at #UFCMacau.Results, highlights & more ➡️: https://t.co/CSvPFFBNfB pic.twitter.com/UfiGX5ml78
— UFC News (@UFCNews)
May 30, 2026