Kai Kara-France left baffled after RIZIN's Kai Asakura was offered UFC title shot right away: "My thoughts was they’ve got the wrong Kai’"
Kai Asakura last competed in December 2023 as he defeated Juan Archuleta via second-round TKO to capture the Rizin bantamweight title at Rizin 45. It was announced that he signed with the UFC in June, however, there was no immediate news on when he would enter the octagon.
That changed last weekend as UFC CEO Dana White announced that the two-time Rizin bantamweight champion would challenge Alexandre Pantoja for the flyweight title in his promotional debut at UFC 310. Kai Kara-France, who many believed would receive the next title opportunity, shared his thoughts on Asakura immediately fighting for the belt.
Speaking to Ravinder Hunia of Sky Sport New Zealand, 'Don't Blink' claimed:
"My thoughts was, 'they've got the wrong Kai'. After my fight, I was calling for the title shot and I think, sweet, I've got it and then I heard they're bringing in a guy from Japan and his name is Kai. It's like, bro, he hasn't even fought yet. I don't think he's earned it. You've got to, at least, show your worth or do something."
Kara-France continued:
"For guys that have been grinding for years in the UFC division, fighting the best guys, we have proved that we belong here so I don't know. That's just how I feel about it. It's weird that you can come in off no fights in the UFC and get a title shot. Hey, but if it's going to bring in more attention to the flyweight division, a bit of controversy, a bit of, 'does this guy deserve it?' Yeah, he can go out there and prove it so it's a tough fight."
Check out Kai Kara-France's comments on Kai Asakura's UFC debut below (9:43):
Kara-France added that the style of fighting in Japan is different as they are used to fighting in a ring. He noted that in the UFC, wrestling is more important as fighters will be pushed against the cage. The No. 4-ranked flyweight noted that he expects Pantoja to come out on top in a tough fight.
Kai Asakura shares reaction to receiving flyweight title opportunity
Kai Asakura took to X after the announcement that he would challenge Alexandre Pantoja for the flyweight title at UFC 310. The promotional newcomer shared that he plans to bring the title home to Japan, writing:
"Sorry for keeping you all waiting I have been scheduled for a title match in my UFC debut. I will definitely win and bring the UFC belt to Japan. My UFC debut will be a title match for the flyweight title at UFC 310 I promise to give all of the UFC fans an exciting fight, and show them something that they have never seen before."
Check out Kai Asakura's X post below:
Asakura will look to become the first UFC champion to hail from Japan. There were two previous tournament winners from the nation, as Kazushi Sakuraba won the heavyweight tournament at UFC Japan while Kenichi Yamamoto won the middleweight tournament at UFC 23.