It’s not too often that a debuting fighter immediately lands a headlining spot on a UFC pay-per-view event, but that’s exactly what will happen when former Rizin champion Kai Asakura takes on UFC flyweight titleholder Alexandre Pantoja in the main event of UFC 310 next weekend in Las Vegas.
The 31-year-old Asakura has twice won Rizin’s bantamweight (134.5lbs) title during his 21-4 career to date and is also a popular YouTube star in Japan on the side too, but Michael Bisping has questioned whether he’ll be able to successfully make the transition from competing in a Japanese promotion to the UFC based on how that’s gone for fighters in the past.
“The big difference between PRIDE and the UFC is that they are competing in a ring,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “And the reason why this is going to be interesting is because, has he adapted his style to the UFC? Has he been training in a cage?
“Last time we saw Pantoja, he had a tough outing with Steve Erceg, a man that shot to fame and rose through the rankings in record time. But Kai Asakura, this is a man that is extremely explosive.
“He is a lifelong martial artist, bone-breaking power as I said to you, but if you can’t stop the takedown then I’ll tell you what: It’s going to be another fighter coming over from Japan and not making the transition.
“People like Mirko Cro Cop had a good run in the UFC but certainly was not as successful as what he was in PRIDE, and the list goes on – and the Nogueira brothers. Again, I’m not saying anything bad about these fighters.
“A lot of them went on to become champions. So, of course, they got there eventually, but there were a couple of stumbling blocks along the way, and will Kai Asakura be another one who stumbles in his first attempt?”
