UFC 310: Alexandre Pantoja vs Kai Asakura

The final pay-per-view of the year comes on December 7th and UFC betting enthusiasts are really excited. Alexandre Pantoja looks to defend his flyweight title against a UFC debutant, Kai Asakura, in the main event at UFC 310, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Pantoja is coming into this bout fresh off the back of a decision win over Steve Ecreg, extending his winning streak to six. He'll be looking to make that seven, hopeful of a third successful defence of his 125-pounds belt. 

Asakura may not be known by most MMA fans, particularly those who only watch the UFC. Making his promotional debut in a title bout should tell you everything about the quality the Japanese fighter possesses. With a record of 21-4, he has built a huge reputation in RIZIN for his brutal finishes, which eventually led to him winning the bantamweight title in 2023. 

Pantoja's relentless pressure and Asakura's explosive knockout capabilities should make this fight exciting.

Keys to Victory

The 34-year-old champion stands at 5ft5 with a reach of 67”, holding a record of 28-5. Meanwhile, the 31-year-old challenger stands at 5ft8 with a reach of 69”, and a record of 21-4.

The game plan should be pretty simple for Alexandre Pantoja, that being said, he never backs down from a gritty and gruelling fight. 

But, the Brazilian should really be looking to use the full repertoire of his excellent grappling and Jiu-jitsu skills to minimise the threat of the challenger's power and striking technique. 

When standing, Pantoja must be dominant when it comes to octagon control and look to pressure Kai Asakura back towards the fence. By doing this, he can physically and mentally wear down Asakura as he looks to maintain a high tempo of work where he can mix in takedowns and clinches to suffocate the debutant against the cage wall.

Lastly, the Brazilian has the clear edge in cardio and experience in five-round title fights. The reigning and defending champion has gone five rounds in three straight fights, getting the nod in all of them. Meanwhile, Asakura has never been in the fourth round, let alone round five, so it is very much uncharted territory for him if it indeed does go into the championship rounds.

For Kai Asakura, we know exactly what his best path to victory is: striking. He has dangerous striking from any distance and can hurt his opponents with kicks, knees punches and elbows. His last two victories came via knees to the body resulting in stoppages. 

To go alongside his spectacular striking ability and knockout power, the Japanese challenger must look to start fast. Setting a high pace early doors, where he can look to get off kicks and potentially chew the legs up of Pantoja, could pay dividends as the fight goes on. Additionally, this could overwhelm and unsettle the champion, especially if Asakura is landing on him and then exiting off of angles to avoid absorbing shots himself.

Lastly, it would be a big surprise if Pantoja doesn't attempt multiple takedowns in the first round, and Asakura must be ready to defend takedowns. 

Against an elite grappler like Pantoja though, he must be alert to defending multiple phases of takedowns because the Brazilian champion will not give up on the first sequence; he will look to chain together attempts within one exchange, especially up against the fence.