LAS VEGAS – Alexandre Pantoja remembers hearing the name Kai Askaura for the first time. It was 2019, and Pantoja (28-5 MMA, 12-3 UFC) suddenly was interested to learn more. Asakura (21-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) had just knocked out Kyoji Horiguchi, a teammate Pantoja holds in the highest regard.

The penultimate UFC event of 2024 is set to go down this Saturday (December 7) when UFC 310 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV.

Asakura (21-4) might not be as well known in the States, but fans love him over in Japan, where Asakura reigned as RIZIN's bantamweight champion. It's the best in the east vs. the best in the west, and Pantoja's sure getting his flowers for fighting whoever the UFC puts in front of him.