UFC head honcho Dana White provoked the MMA world when he announced that former two-time Rizin bantamweight champion Kai Asakura would be joining the UFC family. His division information was kept under wraps but then it was disclosed that he would be debuting in the flyweight division. Surprisingly, the Japanese rookie’s first fight would be against reigning flyweight king Alexandre Pantoja, who is going to defend his title for the third time at UFC 310.

Asakura is getting a title shot directly just after coming into UFC and this has already raised quite a lot of questions among the fanbase and pundits alike. On top of that fans seem to be rooting for Pantoja as they commented on a recent video of his opponent training with the UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili.

Pantoja has been like a pillar in his division making it hard for Dana White to spice things up in flyweight. Asakura has spoken about the same thing as well. While speaking to the Kai Channel he said, “First of all, I want to fight in the flyweight division. Why? Because there’s a champion, (Alexandre) Pantoja, but almost all the ranked fighters have been defeated. I’m going to defeat everyone. It seems that Pantoja is already in his strongest state, but everyone has already been beaten, so it’s not fun anymore.”

The Japanese sensation was pretty dangerous in the video as he did not succumb to any of the Georgian’s takedowns. The fans were still seen rooting for ‘The Cannibal’ and expected him to win.  Alexandre Pantoja has become a significant challenge for the promotion because he has ruled the division and still stands towering in his position. This might be one reason for the fans to believe in his victory.

UFC fans voice support for Alexandre Pantoja as Asakura shows off his skills

His takedown defense looks really good but the fans are adamant that Pantoja will win. One of the followers said, “Easy work for Pantoja,” while another stated, “Title shot? How many fights has he had in the UFC.” The former Rizin champ really wants to dethrone the current champ and wants to make the flyweight division his new home.

However, the 28-fight winner has an average takedown rate of 15 minutes and has won against fighters like Steve Erceg. He reversed a takedown by the latter and gained control with a waistlock at UFC 301. Along with that, Pantoja has amazing grappling skills. On the same note, a fan said, “Yeah. Pantoja is taking him down with his first attempt,” while another wrote, “Pantoja ain’t looking to take you down, he’s looking to take your neck.”

Interestingly, ‘The Cannibal’ has won by neck crank submission at UFC 277 against Alex Perez. He also used a rear naked choke against Brandon Royval at UFC on ESPN 29 on August 21, 2021. Another follower said, “Pantoja is taking a big risk-low reward for his legacy with this fight. But I think he can win this fight.”

One follower showed some stats and wrote, “Kai is a new face in the flyweight division but c’mon, you can’t deny the 2nd best flyweight ever(in my opinion) or top 5 at least, pantoja by ko.” Another netizen said excitedly, “PANTOJA SMOKED ISLAM, HE AINT WORRIED ABOUT THIS KID jk,”

So clearly everyone is rooting for the veteran fighter. Who do you think will win? Will Asakura prove everyone wrong? Tell us in the comments below.