Kai Asakura Wins First UFC Fight, Stops Losing Streak With First-Round KO
Asakura, who rose to fame in RIZIN and as a YouTuber, was on the verge of being cut from the UFC after two straight losses; this first-round KO in his natural bantamweight class keeps his UFC career alive.
Reporting from 1 sources: KAI-YOU.
Kai Asakura earned his first UFC victory on May 30 in Macau, knocking out American Cameron Smotherman at 1:50 of the first round. The win ends a two-fight losing streak that began with his high-profile debut in December 2024 and had led to speculation he might be released from the promotion.
Kai Asakura knocked out American Cameron Smotherman at 1:50 of the first round in Macau on May 30, earning his first win in three UFC fights. The bantamweight bout was the third main card fight of UFC Fight Night: Song vs. Figueiredo. Asakura dropped Smotherman with a right hook, then finished him with a flurry of punches against the cage. After two consecutive losses-a title-fight debut against Alexandre Pantoja in December 2024 and a submission loss to Tim Elliott in August 2025-Asakura had faced rumors he would be released. He brought in former UFC fighter Masanori Kanehara as head coach and moved to his natural weight class for this fight. In his post-fight interview, Asakura said he wanted to show his true strength and called his striking the best in the world.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.