"I want to see him fight Sean O’Malley" - When RIZIN chief explained supporting Kai Asakura's UFC dreams in a gesture rarely seen in MMA

The chief of RIZIN FF (Fighting Federation) once asserted his support for Kai Asakura's dream to join the UFC. The promoter even expressed his hope that Asakura beat then-UFC bantamweight kingpin 'Sugar' Sean O'Malley.

The individual in question is former PRIDE FC president and current RIZIN FF president, Nobuyuki Sakakibara. The 61-year-old Japanese businessperson received widespread praise from fans and experts for allowing Asakura, who was the RIZIN bantamweight champion and a major star, to vacate his title and depart the organization to join the UFC.

Many fans hailed it as a rare gesture -- referencing how major MMA organizations such as the UFC and PFL don't take too kindly to top fighters in their prime joining other organizations. Notable examples of that were ex-UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou's post-departure feud with the UFC and ex-PFL women's lightweight champion Kayla Harrison's post-departure feud with the PFL.

Speaking to MMA Mania on BROADENED HORIZIN in July 2024, Sakakibara indicated that Kai Asakura had primarily fought for RIZIN for years, was in his thirties, and wanted to test himself globally before time ran out. He suggested that Asakura wasn't satisfied after becoming the RIZIN champion and wanted to keep pushing himself.

The veteran promoter lauded the UFC, pointing out that the American organization reached a level where they have a lot of the world's top MMA fighters. Sakakibara recounted that Asakura, whose ambitions got progressively bigger, told him about his UFC dream earlier this year. He further made an allusion to the Asakura brothers' popularity and contribution to the RIZIN brand.

Moreover, Sakakibara even acknowledged that RIZIN could've probably locked them up in exclusive contracts rather than let Kai Asakura join the UFC. Nevertheless, he underlined that he wanted Asakura to grow as a fighter and person. He hopes Asakura would "represent Japan and RIZIN" well.

"I personally want to see him beat Sean O'Malley. I want to see him fight Sean O'Malley and see what's going to happen, you know? So for me, it was a tough call, but I decided to have this father-like mentality to send him out into the open, the big, big waters, and see what he can do."

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UFC 310 star Kai Asakura addresses backlash to title shot in debut

Kai Asakura captured the RIZIN bantamweight title in December 2023 before vacating it in June 2024. Akin to ex-RIZIN light heavyweight champion and ex-UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka, Asakura has vowed to become UFC champion.

He'll debut against UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja. Their showdown headlines UFC 310 at the T-Mobile Arena in Vegas on Dec. 7, 2024.

Certain sections of the MMA community have criticized the booking, citing that Kai Asakura should've beaten a few top-tier UFC contenders before being accorded a title shot. During a recent interview with the UFC, the 31-year-old shut down the criticism by asserting his self-belief and explaining why he didn't turn down the title shot in his maiden octagon appearance:

"My goal is to become the UFC champion, so when I was offered the chance to fight Pantoja, it was the first step to get to my goal, so there was no reason to refuse the fight."