Israel Adesanya shares surprise pick for “sleeper fight” of UFC 310 as he breaks down Kai Asakura’s debut against Alexandre Pantoja
Kai Asakura will be making his promotional debut in arguably the biggest fight of his career when he faces Alexandre Pantoja in the main event of UFC 310. The pair will clash for the flyweight title in what Israel Adesanya believes could be the "sleeper fight" of the entire card.
Adesanya may have a point, as the flyweight challenger competed exclusively in Japan for Rizin Fight Federation from 2017 until signing with the UFC. This has left Asakura as an unknown quantity to much of the UFC fanbase, meaning they may not be aware of the caliber of fighter that has entered the promotion.
'The Last Stylebender' shared his breakdown for the UFC 310 main event on YouTube, where he said:
"Pantoja knows how to scramble, but he also knows how to scrap... A guy like this, Kai, you just have to make him pay... Who has made him pay yet for being reckless? You have to have someone who is confident in their skills enough to not fear [Asakura's] barrage."
He continued:
"Pantoja can grapple. I'm sure [Asakura] is very well versed. But this is going to be a crazy fight. This might be the sleeper fight for f**k sake! And it's the main event. All I know is this card is f**king stacked."
Catch Adesanya preview Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Asakura below (15:45):
Kai Asakura explains what sets him apart from the flyweight division ahead of UFC 310
Kai Asakura and Alexandre Pantoja will clash in the main event of UFC 310 for the flyweight title.
The Japanese superstar was previously the Rizin bantamweight champion, and competed at 135 pounds for until his decision to sign with the UFC. Given his lack of fights at flyweight, there are concerns about Asakura making the championship limit of 125 pounds, which were firmly dismissed by the title challenger.
With little known about the UFC debutant, he explained what separated him from the rest of the flyweight division during a recent interview with MMAJunkie.
He said:
"I'm a little bit different than the other fighters in the flyweight division. I have the ability to capitalize on one of [Pantoja's] mistakes and put him to sleep. So that's what I'm aiming for. That's what makes my challenge for this type of fight different than anybody else."
Catch Kai Asakura's comments below (5:55):