For Alexandre Pantoja, his UFC 310 main event is a total mystery. Why? Because he’ll be defending his belt against a debutant, Kai Asakura, who’s got a stunning MMA pedigree outside the biggest MMA promotion in the world. Pantoja seems to be aware of what the Japanese sensation is capable of, given that he’s a former 2-time bantamweight champion in Rizin FF. And to prepare well for that scrap, ‘The Cannibal’ has joined hands with someone who’s got a pretty good idea about Asakura.

The UFC flyweight champion, during the recent ‘UFC Countdown’ video revealed to have been training with former 2-time Rizin bantamweight champion and current Rizin flyweight champion, Kyoji Horiguchi. Nicknamed ‘The Typhoon’, Horiguchi fought Asakura a couple of times, trading one knockout win each.

He’s one of the four opponents who’ve bested the soon-to-be UFC 310 debutant, and Pantoja seems to enjoy training with Horiguchi, claiming that not just as a fighter, but the Rizin champ’s also a great personality, who adheres to his Japanese tradition. “[Kyoji Horiguchi] is one of the best people I have in my whole life. I learned a lot [from him],” said Pantoja. “He’s a samurai. Amazing guy, amazing opportunity to train with him.” Meanwhile, the Brazilian is a student of the game, so he confessed to having watched Asakura’s previous fights, especially the ones against Horiguchi.

Having watched his training partner eat defeat at the hands of his upcoming opponent, ‘The Cannibal’ admitted that the Japanese sensation possesses incredible strength in his strikes, but he also observed the weak spots in his game that led to Asakura’s loss to Horiguchi. “I see Kyoji fight with Kai two times and [in] one of them he won. He beat Kyoji. That for me, [if] someone can beat Kyoji, this guy is going to have a lot of power,” Alexandre Pantoja added. “In the next fight, Kyoji k*lled that guy.”

But what does Kyoji Horiguchi think about Pantoja’s taking on Asakura? Well, it seems like Horiguchi, understandably, is on the UFC champ’s side.

Kai Asakura’s ex-rival claims Alexandre Pantoja is on a “different level”

Kai Asakura’s 21-wins-and-4-losses record is an outstanding achievement, and he capped it off by winning the belt in his former promotion and remained unbeaten until he had to relinquish the belt due to his UFC move. Having shared the ring, Kyoji Horiguchi has no doubts about how good the former Rizin champ is, but when it comes to Alexandre Pantoja, he believes ‘The Cannibal’ would get it done at UFC 310 pretty easily with a finish.

“Kai, he’s a good fighter, [has] a good record. A dangerous fighter, but I believe Pantoja is [on] a different level. Submission, yeah, finish. [If] Anything, [Pantoja will] finish,” Asakura’s former rival stated in the same ‘UFC Countdown’ video. Besides, the UFC is a new territory and a new environment for the former Rizin champion. Given that his former promotion used to make fighters compete inside a 4-sided ring, reminiscent of a boxing and a professional wrestling ring, Asakura hasn’t competed inside an 8-sided cage for years. Could that prove to be a problem?

Nonetheless, Kai Asakura is a big deal in Japan, and winning the title this weekend will only help Dana White capitalize on the only market that has eluded him for so many years – the Japanese market. However, Alexandre Pantoja’s on a roll right now, and defending his title for the third time, will cement his legacy in the division’s history. Whom do you have your money on?