Where is Kai Asakura from?

Kai Asakura, born on October 31, 1993, in Toyohashi, Japan, is an energetic mixed martial artist known for his explosive power and fast-paced fighting style. Competing in the bantamweight and flyweight divisions, Asakura made his name in the local Japanese regional MMA scene but burst into global recognition when he started fighting for Rizin Fighting Federation. In 2018, Asakura's MMA career gathered even more steam when he knocked the former UFC fighter Kyoji Horiguchi out cold. This devastating highlight-reel finish stamped his name among the list of all true knockout artists from Japan. Asakura is also a former Rizin Bantamweight Champion following his win over Hiromasa Ougikubo at the Rizin 23 by unanimous decision.

Kai Asakura signed with the UFC in 2024 and is set to make history by being the first fighter in the promotion's history to challenge for a title in his debut. His debut fight is scheduled for the UFC flyweight championship at UFC 310 on December 7, 2024, against the reigning champion, Alexandre Pantoja.

Kai Asakura Nationality

Kai Asakura, originally from Toyohashi, Aichi, Japan, is of Japanese nationality. Asakura's journey in combat sports training began with karate and sumo. Growing up, Asakura was involved in street fights with his brother Mikuru, which helped build his toughness and grit. To channel their energy from street altercations, their mother enrolled the brothers in boxing classes. In high school, Kai was introduced to MMA by Mikuru, leading him to train at Zen Dokai Toyohashi Dojo. He began his professional MMA career in DEEP, winning his debut fight against Tomoya Suzuki by first-round TKO.

Kai Asakura Rizin Career

Kai Asakura debuted in Rizin on December 29, 2017, defeating Kizaemon Saiga via a second-round knee. Asakura gained attention with a Fight of the Month-worthy victory over Manel Kape in 2018. He later won the Rizin Bantamweight Championship after knocking out Hiromasa Ougikubo. Despite setbacks, including a loss to Ougikubo and finishing runner-up in the 2021 Bantamweight Grand Prix, Asakura rebounded with a third-round knockout of Yuki Motoya and secured the title again in his last fight with the promotion on December 2023 with a TKO win over Juan Archuleta.

Result	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Location
Win	21–4	Juan Archuleta	TKO (knee to the body and punches)	Rizin 45	December 31, 2023	2	3:20	Saitama, Japan
Win	20–4	Yuki Motoya	KO (knee to the body)	Rizin 42	May 6, 2023	3	2:25	Tokyo, Japan
Loss	19–4	Hiromasa Ougikubo	Decision (unanimous)	Rizin 33	December 31, 2021	3	5:00	Saitama, Japan
Win	19–3	Kenta Takizawa	Decision (unanimous)			3	5:00
Win	18–3	Alan Yamaniha	Decision (unanimous)	Rizin 30	September 19, 2021	3	5:00	Saitama, Japan
Win	17–3	Shooto Watanabe	TKO (punches)	Rizin 28	June 13, 2021	1	3:22	Tokyo, Japan
Loss	16–3	Kyoji Horiguchi	KO (punches)	Rizin 26	December 31, 2020	1	2:48	Saitama, Japan
Win	16–2	Shoji Maruyama	TKO (punches and soccer kick)	Rizin 24	September 27, 2020	1	2:37	Saitama, Japan
Win	15–2	Hiromasa Ougikubo	KO (knee and soccer kicks)	Rizin 23	August 10, 2020	1	4:31	Yokohama, Japan
Loss	14–2	Manel Kape	TKO (punches)	Rizin 20	December 31, 2019	2	0:38	Saitama, Japan
Win	14–1	Ulka Sasaki	TKO (broken jaw)	Rizin 19	October 12, 2019	1	0:54	Osaka, Japan
Win	13–1	Kyoji Horiguchi	KO (punches)	Rizin 18	August 18, 2019	1	1:08	Nagoya, Japan
Win	12–1	Moon Jae-hoon	Decision (unanimous)	Rizin: Heisei's Last Yarennoka!	December 30, 2018	3	5:00	Saitama, Japan
Win	11–1	Topnoi Kiwram	Decision (unanimous)	Rizin 13	September 30, 2018	3	5:00	Saitama, Japan
Win	10–1	Manel Kape	Decision (split)	Rizin 10	May 6, 2018	3	5:00	Fukuoka, Japan
Win	9–1	Kizaemon Saiga	TKO (punches and knee)	Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: 2nd Round	December 29, 2017	2	2:34	Saitama, Japan