Kai
Asakura is reinvigorated at bantamweight following a rocky
start in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Asakura stopped Qileng Aori
with a second-round technical knockout at
UFC Shanghai on Aug. 29. The Japanese star is now 2-0 in the
UFC bantamweight division after losing his first two UFC fights via
submission at flyweight. He detailed how his approach has changed
since the move up and broke down his finishing move against Aori
soon after the victory.
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Kai Asakura says bantamweight gives him more power, speed and
confidence
Asakura claims that he can be more assertive with his offense at
135 pounds, a significant improvement on how he felt while
competing at 125 pounds.
“At bantamweight, I have more power and I have more speed,” Asakura
said in a post-fight interview. “So, I feel like I can fight with
more confidence than at flyweight.”
He also broke down the sequence that led to the finish.
“There were two things,” Asakura added. “The opponent was backing
away and he was trying to counter with the right, so I made the
distance a little bit closer and he was also focusing on the body
shots, so I put a head kick in there.”
With two straight victories at bantamweight, Asakura now hopes to
face a ranked 135-pounder next.
“I want to fight in Top 15, anyone.”
“I want to fight in top 15, anyone.”
After back-to-back finishes at bantamweight, Kai Asakura
(@kai_1031_) has
his sights set on a ranked matchup next time out
#UFCShanghaiMain Card Results ➡️ https://t.co/G8E8FUHmUD pic.twitter.com/3YQb84t02n
— UFC News (@UFCNews)
August 29, 2026