Merab Dvalishvili looks back at sparring with Kai Asakura in 2022, with a four-word reaction

It seems all roads point towards UFC flyweight newcomer Kai Asakura walking out of UFC 310 with gold around his waist. If one wants to see evidence of this, his sparring session with UFC bantamweight champion Merab 'The Machine' Dvalishvili back in 2022, exemplifies the same.

Dvalishvili, known for his relentless takedowns and heavy pressure, couldn't take Asakura down, despite the size and weight advantage he has over the Japanese flyweight. In the striking department, the two were quite dead-even, with Asakura marvelously managing distance to avoid being bullied by Dvalishvili.

ESPN MMA posted video highlights of the sparring session on Instagram:

"When new UFC flyweight Kai Asakura sparred with UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili in 2022 🤝 #UFC310"

Dvalishvili commented on the post with a heartfelt message about Kasi Asakura:

"Kai is my brother 🇯🇵🦾"

Merab Dvalishvili's comment. [Image credit: @espnmma on Instagram]

One interesting thing to understand here is that this footage is over two years old. Both fighters have massively improved on their skills, which could mean bad news for their next opponents.

---

Kai Asakura wants to bring Japan back to top of the MMA world

On December 7, at UFC 310, Kai Asakura will be granted a remarkably rare opportunity - a UFC title shot on his promotional debut. Of the few individuals who've had this shot, none have been able to capitalize and win the title, making the task even more historic for Asakura.

Speaking of history, only a handful of Japanese fighters were able to rise up to fight for a UFC belt, despite the country's major contributions to the sport. Back in the late 90s to the early 2000s, Japan was at the epicenter of mixed martial arts, with legendary promotions like PRIDE Fighting Championships, Shooto, and Pancrase.

And yet when the UFC (Zuffa) bought PRIDE FC in 2007 and acquired a few fighters from 'The Land of the Rising Sun', no Japanese fighter was able to wear UFC gold. Kai Asakura plans to change this, with his mission to become the first Japanese UFC champion and bring back his country's spot atop the sport, telling the UFC:

“Until now, there have been many fighters in the UFC from Japan who have fought and tried to win a title, and none of them have been successful. I feel like there is an impression amongst fight fans that Japanese fighters aren’t that strong, so my goal is to go there and prove that the Japanese fighters are amongst the best fighters in the world."