Kai Asakura once broke his opponent's jaw in two places with kicks so brutal that they're illegal in the UFC
12/03/2024 02:16 PM
Kai Asakura’s well-documented MMA career in Japan has been filled with incredible knockouts but one stands out more than most because of its brutal nature.
This coming weekend at UFC 310, Kai Asakura will make his much anticipated promotional debut, stepping straight into a flyweight title fight against Alexandre Pantoja.
His UFC debut will mark almost one year since he last competed, with his last fight having come against Bellator veteran, Juan Archuleta.
Kai Asakura broke his opponents jaw following brutal soccer kicks
The former RIZIN bantamweight champion is well known for his crushing knockout power, having scored 13 KOs during his 21 wins. However, with him moving down to 125lbs for his UFC tenure, fans are hopeful that his power will translate following a tougher weight cut.
Despite that, the 31-year-old’s most terrifying win of his career came back in 2019 when he earned a title fight following a KO win over Ulka Sasaki.
Just under a minute into their co-main event, Asakura dropped Sasaki with a hellacious right hand and reigned down some vicious ground-and-pound.
However, the 31-year-old then began to land brutal knees to Sasaki’s head while he was down, which is completely legal in the RIZIN rules. The UFC recently underwent a rule change regarding knees to the head of a grounded opponent.
Fighters can no longer be deemed downed unless they have another part of their body touching the floor that isn’t their hands or feet.
Despite that, it wasn’t the brutal knees that had fans gobsmacked at Asakura’s finish. The Japanese power puncher began to land extremely brutal soccer kicks to the head of Sasaki, which are still an illegal strike in the UFC.
Following the fight, Sasaki came out to reveal that Asakura broke his jaw in two different places, further backing the Japanese champion’s supernatural power.
- STREET FIGHTER:Brutal street fight footage emerges of Kai Asakura trading punches with his own brother
Kai Asakura planning on another ‘spectacular knockout’ at UFC 310
Although UFC fans may not have been too familiar with Asakura’s work prior to this point, the flyweight title challenger is adamant of scoring another ‘spectacular knockout’ and showcasing his skills to the UFC fanbase.
“My advantage over Pantoja is that I can end the fight with one shot. If he even makes one mistake, the fight could be over,” Asakura said in an interview with the UFC.
“For UFC fans who are watching me fight for the first time… Don’t blink! I plan on winning with a spectacular knockout,” the challenger added.
‘The Cannibal’ Pantoja has never been knocked out during his MMA career, standing as one of the only fighters in the promotion to boast that feat.
