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A former Rizin commentator recently described Kai Asakura's popularity in Japan and compared it to the likes of Conor McGregor and the Diaz brothers. He noted that he is on another level of fame in his native country and has the fighting style that can continue to grow that popularity in North America.
The former Rizin bantamweight champion and his brother, Mikuru, are two of the most popular fighters to ever come out of Japan and have the social media presence to support that. In fact, Asakura's YouTube subscription count is higher than the likes of Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira, who are UFC championship level fighters who have headlined several pay-per-views.
Former Rizin English play-by-play commentator Joe Ferraro is no stranger to the 31-year-old as he has called many of his fights for the Japanese-based promotion.
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During his latest appearance on The Game Plan, Ferraro described how massive of an acquisition Asakura is for the UFC and mentioned that his level of stardom is in the same realm as the promotion's biggest names:
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"Kai and Mikuru [Asakura], they're rockstars in Japan. Think Conor McGregor, right? He's a global phenomenon...He's transcended the sport...He's bigger, he's got a following...Him and his brother can't go anywhere. I once described them as the Japanese Diaz brothers...They took that savage skillset of being street fighters and learned how to fight professionally with technique...stamina...patience...timing, and ascended up the Japanese rankings very very quickly." [27:02]
Check out the full interview featuring Joe Ferraro's comments about Kai Asakura below:
What was Kai Asakura's record in Rizin?
Kai Asakura had a very successful stint competing in Japan under the Rizin banner.
The Japanese star made his promotional debut in 2017 as a highly touted 24-year-old prospect with an 8-1 professional record. While competing in Rizin, Asakura amassed a 13-3 record, with 8 of his wins coming via KO/TKO.
Asakura defeated notable opponents like Manel Kape, Kyoji Horiguchi, and most recently Juan Archuleta to win the Rizin bantamweight championship for a second time. His reign was short lived as he relinquished his title this past June to sign with the UFC.
Check out some highlights of Kai Asakura's finishes in Rizin below:
