Kai Asakura won the Rizin Bantamweight Championship by defeating Juan Archuleta last December. On Saturday, Asakura, who has a 13-3 record under the Rizin Fighting Federation (Rizin FF), relinquished the title to join UFC.
UFC has yet to issue a statement regarding Kai Asakura. The 30-year-old will be a threat to the bantamweight division. Sean O’Malley is the current champion of the division, and he is No. 6 in the UFC men’s pound-for-pound rankings as of June 4th.
At RIZIN 47, Kai Asakura stated that UFC will announce his arrival soon. He also stated that RIZIN President Nobuyuki Sakakibara accepted his request to join UFC without hesitation.
“I am giving up my belt and going to the UFC. I think there will be an announcement from the UFC soon, but it’s official that I’m going. This should be exciting news, but right now I feel very lonely. I believe that thanks to RIZIN, I, who was originally no one, was recognized as a fighter, a martial artist, a man. And last year, on New Years’ Eve, it was Mr. Sakakibara who accepted my selfish request to go to the UFC without a single defense. I would like to thank Mr. Sakakibara from the bottom of my heart for his support. Thank you very much.”
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
— RIZIN.tv (@RIZINTV_) June 9, 2024
RIZIN Bantamweight Champion Kai Asakura is vacating his title and going to the UFC.
Watch on #RIZIN TV!
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