Why is he ranked 119 and fighting Floyd Mayweather? - Terrance McKinney reacts to 'Money' vs Mikuru Asakura fight announcement
Floyd Mayweather's next fight will be in Japan against Mikuru Asakura, and if you don't know who that is, you're not alone.
UFC lightweight prospect Terrance McKinney reacted to the news that Mayweather would box the 16-3 MMA fighter for RIZIN in September with confusion. He wrote in a since-deleted tweet:
"Who is Asakura Mikuru and why is he ranked 119 and fighting Mayweather!?"
It's a question that many fight fans have, as Asakura's record is solid but by no means spectacular. While he has won featherweight titles in smaller organizations, his attempt to win the RIZIN featherweight belt in 2020 resulted in a loss.
The answer, as it often is these days, is that Mikuru Asakura is a social media powerhouse. The fighter has over 2.4 million followers on YouTube and 645,000 Instagram fans. Mayweather made it clear in his last fight against former training partner Don Moore that he's not interested in stiff challenges. Asakura provides a marketable name for RIZIN that Mayweather won't struggle against.
This isn't Floyd Mayweather's first fight with RIZIN. In December 2018 he fought kickboxing legend Tenshin Nasukawa, knocking him out in the first round.
Remember late last year when Rizin was like "We are signing Mayweather to fight Tenshin" and everyone was like wtf lol that's hiarious.
Then like a month later Mayweather was all of a sudden in Japan washing tf outta Tenshin? https://t.co/FqFGiM8u6C
Floyd Mayweather vs. Mikuru Asakura could determine the future of RIZIN
Floyd Mayweather returns to Japan during a tough time for RIZIN as the promotion is battling a scandal over alleged connections to the Yakuza organized crime syndicate. A massive superfight between Tenshin Nasukawa and Takeru Segawa on June 19 had its broadcast deal with Fuji TV cancelled, and RIZIN president Nobuyuki Sakakibara admitted RIZIN's TV deal may see a similar fate.
Ask as to whether this will impact RIZIN's broadcasting. Sakakibara waits a bit and admits it probably will
However, he says TV's presence in the mainstream has changed over the last 17 years
Enter Floyd Mayweather vs. Mikuru Asakura, which is being promoted as part of 'RIZIN Fight Pass,' a new service that will hopefully make it easier for fight fans around the world to watch the bout. Without a traditional TV deal in Japan, RIZIN is going to have a hard time surviving. If they manage to finally pivot to online streaming and expand their ability to draw international viewers, there may still be a way to keep the promotion going.
This isn't the first time a Yakuza scandal involving Nobuyuki Sakakibara has upended the combat sports world. In 2006, Sakakibara's company PRIDE was the biggest MMA promotion in the world. However, similar allegations of Yakuza connections resulted in the loss of their Fuji TV deal. The UFC would end up buying out PRIDE and hitting Sakakibara with a seven year non-compete contract. Sakakibara started RIZIN in 2015, but it seems like his shady connections continue to haunt him.
Literally everyone: The Yakuza was behind PRIDE.
Sakakibara: There was a lot of jealousy behind the scenes. https://t.co/EFdRTPA4qO