Kai Asakura next fight: UFC star set for bantamweight return

Former UFC title challenger Kai Asakura has announced that he is moving up to bantamweight for his next fight.

One of the most popular fighters in his native Japan, Asakura arrived in the UFC in 2024 riding a wave of momentum after twice winning the RIZIN bantamweight title.

The 32-year-old became one of the few fighters to fight for a title on his arrival in the Octagon, but was defeated by Alexandre Pantoja in his promotional debut at UFC 310.

Returning against perennial contender Tim Elliott last summer, Asakura suffered a second successive loss for the first time in his career when he was again submitted in the second round.

The result has forced Asakura to return to the drawing board, and he announced to his 1.4million subscribers on YouTube that he would be moving up to 135lbs as he prepares to make his return to competition.

"My opponent will be Cameron Smotherman on 30 May in Macau." Asakura said.

"It's great that [the fight] can be held in Macau as it's close to Japan and the time difference will be only one hour.

"I'll be training in Japan until about a week before the fight and then I'll go to Macau during fight week. Since it's in Macau I think there will be a lot of people that come to support me.

"I've lost two fights in a row in the UFC so this is a fight that I absolutely have to win."

Smotherman has gone 1-2 in the UFC since signing with the promotion in 2024 and was expected to take on Ricky Turcios in January on the promotion's maiden Paramount+ card following the $7.7billion broadcast deal.

After successfully making the bantamweight limit, Smotherman collapsed after stepping off the scale and the fight was cancelled.

A must-win fight for both men, the Asakura vs Smotherman clash is expected to feature on the main card of UFC Fight Night 277 next month.

The event is scheduled to be headlined by a bantamweight clash between Devieson Figueiredo and Song Yadong, and marks the UFC's fifth visit to the China and first since 2024.