Kai Asakura is going to the UFC.
Japanese star Asakura (21-4) regained the Rizin bantamweight title last December against Juan Archuleta, who missed weight for the fight and was ineligible to retain the title. Saturday at Rizin 47, promotion boss Nobuyuki Sakakibara announced that Asakura gave up the title so he could sign with the UFC.
The UFC has yet to make a formal announcement about the 30-year-old’s signing, but he is expected to quickly become a threat to the upper echelon of the UFC’s 135-pound weight class, which is currently managed by Sean O’Malley.
Asakura has been fighting exclusively for Rizin for over six years. Before that, he fought for Japanese organizations such as Deep and Road FC.
Asakura first won the Rizin bantamweight title in August 2020 when he knocked out Hiromasa Ougikubo. He lost the belt the same year in a rematch against Kyoji Horiguchi. It took him three years and a 5-1 streak to regain the title, but he won’t defend it before his move to the UFC.
Asakura is considered one of Japan’s best fighters. He holds notable victories over Archuleta, Horiguchi, Manel Kape and Ulka Sasaki.
