‘They Got The Wrong Kai’
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Battle of the Kai’s?
New Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) signee, Kai Asakura, makes his highly-anticipated Octagon debut against Flyweight champion, Alexandre Pantoja, at UFC 310 on Dec. 9, 2024, from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Asakura’s automatic title shot was a surprise because UFC rarely books new fighters in title fights without making him or her fight at least once or twice. However, UFC CEO, Dana White, explained the reason(s) for the rare exception earlier this week.
“He’s a bad boy,” White told MMAmania.com. “This isn’t a guy that needs to come in and be tested or figure it out. He’s one of the best in the world ... and we’re going to find out that night if he’s the best in the world.”
While White and many mixed martial arts (MMA) fans are excited to see what Asakura can do inside UFC, a few Flyweight contemporaries weren’t so pleased, including former interim Flyweight title challenger, Kai Kara-France, who is coming off an awesome first round knockout win (watch highlights).
“My thoughts were — they got the wrong Kai,” Kara-France told Sky Sport NZ. “After my fight, I was calling for the title shot and was thinking, ‘Sweet, I got it.’ And then I heard they’re bringing in a guy from Japan and his name is Kai.
“Bro, he hasn’t even fought yet,” Kara-France added. “I don’t think he’s earned it. You’ve got to at least show your worth or do something. And, you know, for guys that have been grinding for years in the Flyweight division, fighting the best guys, we’ve proved that we belong here. That’s just how I feel. It’s weird that you can come in off no fights in the UFC and get a title shot.”
While “Don’t Blink” makes a few good points, timing is everything in MMA, and Asakura’s is perfect. The other top-ranked Flyweights were booked, and the champion wanted to fight again before the year is over. For what it’s worth, Kara-France is 1-2 in his last three fights, eliminating him from the immediate conversation.
Unranked UFC Flyweight Charles Johnson, who fights this weekend (Sat., Oct. 19, 2024) at UFC Vegas 99, believes it is disrespectful for UFC to book Asakura for the title shot.
“First things first, Kai is a good martial artist — he’s great at what he does and is talented,” Johnson remarked at UFC Vegas 99’s media day earlier this week. “I don’t give a f—k — this is UFC, so for a guy to come into UFC and jump the line in front of a Brandon Royval, [Amir] Albazi, Kara-France — there are guys [who are ranked] at 8, 9, 10 that he can fight, and he if does well, throw him in there.
“The Flyweight division is probably pound-for-pound one of the best weight class, skill-for-skill in this promotion and this is the best promotion in the world,” Johnson concluded. “So, for a guy to come in and not have any fights in this promotion and then fight for a belt is very disrespectful to the guys in the rankings. I’m looking at them like, ‘What the f—k ya’ll doing?’”
It’s all part of a bigger plan, apparently.
To checkout the latest UFC 310 fight card and rumors click here.
