.png)
Dana White is drawing thin with his Flyweight hand as he looks for an unpopular move to shakeup the landscape across the top of the 135 division. White is plugging in a global star, with exciting fight style, in efforts to spice up the challenger list of flyweight champ Alexandre Pantoja. After one final sleep, former RIZIN champ Kai Asakura will take the UFC stage for the first time... under the brightest lights; against one of the most structured and confident fighters on the planet.
If you were to include the very beginning days of the UFC, Askura is the 24th fighter to be fighting under a championship setting in his debut with the promotion. That crop of 24 is all over the place in terms of rhymes and reasons for getting title debuts. Most of the crop came from 1997-2001, when title debuts were common due to the forming of the promotion and its' weight-classes over time. The crop also includes the likes of Aldo, Rousey, Gilbert Melendez, and Dominick Cruz, who were all pre-crowned champions fighting for titles in their UFC debuts. We have also seen instances like Joe Soto, Frank Trigg, and Hayato Sakurai (the first Japanese fighter to claim a title-shot debut), who some think are more comparable to Asakura.
I don't see the booking to be outlandish in any standard. Sure, Kai jumped some worthy contenders in line, but the flyweight division needs some star-power. Dana did his research. Asakura is on another level of fame in his native country of Japan and has the fighting style that can continue to grow that popularity in North America. Asakura has the look, and has the pop. Shiny x-rays and a mantle of broken jaws proves the pop worthy. Unlike Sakurai, whom was only 2-1 in MMA before fighting Matt Hughes in his debut at UFC 36- Kai has a lengthy resume from RIZIN. A resume that includes a 13-3 record with 8 knockouts to build to his impressive highlight reel (just a small montage):
video via @poll_mma//X
The risk and reward is low to high. Low risk; high reward. Pantoja would have to slaughter Asakura to hurt his stock. The risk comes after, if Asakura were to lose. Don't want to feed the cat to Pantoja, just for him to end out like Melendez (losing to retirement). Asakura winning by knockout gives an immediate superstar, and sends quakes in the division; creating new matchups. Lets be honest, Saturday night's matchup has far more appeal than Pantoja/Albazi, or Pantoja/Almabayev. The appeal now being stronger with Rakhmonov no longer facing Muhammad for the welterweight strap. The card is relying on Asakura & Pantoja to deliver sparks; just as much as Dana White and the UFC is.
The stage will be set in Vegas. T-Mobile arena will be prepped, and ready for warfare. A strong main entree set to send sparks across the skies. Will we see upset galore, or continued domination? Will we see a Japanese star become universal? The final sparks of 2024 inside the Octagon are ready for activation. Lets go!
Follow our Socials and my personal Twitter:
Twitter: @SpittinCap & @djp_spittincap
IG: @spittin_cap
Make sure to click the heart and leave a like... share for others to read!
Opinion. Fact. Or Straight Up Cap.
Comments