IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
RIZIN Bantamweight Champion Kai Asakura is vacating his title and
going to the UFC.Watch on
#RIZIN TV!
🔗https://t.co/CXiPKkswl0[
#RIZIN47 ] pic.twitter.com/WSAZMDU7i1— RIZIN.television (@RIZINTV_)
June 9, 2024
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship’s bantamweight division is about
to obtain an improve.
Rizin Fighting Federation champion Kai Asakura introduced throughout
Rizin 47 on Sunday that he’s vacating his belt to signal with the
UFC. The Las Vegas-based promotion has not formally introduced the
acquisition. As a part of his farewell, Asakura paid tribute to the
group and Rizin CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara.
“I’m giving up my belt and going to the UFC,” Asakura stated. “I
assume there can be an announcement from the UFC quickly, nevertheless it’s
official that I’m going. This ought to be thrilling information, however proper
now I really feel very lonely. I imagine that due to RIZIN, I, who was
initially nobody, was acknowledged as a fighter, a martial artist, a
man. And final yr, on New Years’ Eve, it was Mr. Sakakibara who
accepted my egocentric request to go to the UFC with out a single
protection. I want to thank Mr. Sakakibara from the underside of my
coronary heart for his assist. Thanks very a lot.”
The 30-year-old Asakura is a two-time Rizin bantamweight champion.
He regained the crown with a second-round TKO of Juan Archuleta in
his final outing at Rizin 45 in December 2023. The Japan Prime Staff
product went 13-3 throughout the Japanese promotion and owns a 21-4
profession mark that additionally consists of stints in
Road FC and Rings. His
resume consists of victories over the likes of Manel Kape, Kyoji
Horiguchi, Hiromasa Ougikubo, Yuki Motoya, Yuta Sasaki and
Archuleta.
