LAS VEGAS – Kai Asakura feels the UFC flyweight division is in need of a change, and he promises to be just that.
The former RIZIN FF bantamweight champion debuts in the octagon this Saturday in the main event of UFC 310 (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN2, Hulu, ESPN+). In a not-often-seen opportunity, the Japanese star will challenge for a UFC belt in his debut, as he takes on flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja.
“When I signed my contract with the UFC, I told them I could fight at flyweight and bantamweight, and as discussions progressed, I said to them, ‘Look, we can bring some excitement into this division, so it would be better for me to fight at flyweight for you,’ so that’s why I’m fighting at flyweight,” Asakura said through an interpreter at Wednesday’s UFC 310 media day.
