Why is Kai Asakura getting a title shot on UFC debut? Here's Dana White's reasoning for the surprising Alexandre Pantoja matchup

Former Rizin bantamweight champion Kai Asakura is set to make his UFC debut against flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 310 on Dec. 7. While fighters like Joe Soto have made their UFC debut with title fights before, those fights were booked on short notice to save a PPV card. However, the UFC has made a conscious decision to kick off Asakura's promotional career with a title fight, raising a lot of eyebrows.

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Why is Kai Asakura getting a title shot on UFC debut?

Criticism of the UFC's decision to give Kai Asakura a title shot stems from the opinion that the flyweight division has several ranked contenders who can pose a serious threat to Alexandre Pantoja's title reign.

Speaking at the Dana White's Contender Series post-fight press conference on Oct. 16, UFC CEO Dana White shed light on the reason behind choosing Asakura to challenge Pantoja at UFC 310:

"He's a bad boy. This isn't the guy that needs to come in and be tested and figure out... He's one of the best in the world. We're going to find out that night if he's the best in the world."

When asked if timing played a role in Asakura getting a title shot, White said:

"Timing is always a factor. But I think it wouldn't have mattered when he came in. He was going to get a title shot no matter who the champion was."

Check out Dana White's comments below (20:07):

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Kai Asakura is not intimidated by the grand opportunity, explains how the Alexandre Pantoja fight was booked

In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Kai Asakura said that the pressure of a title fight in his debut does not intimidate him. When asked if it feels special to see his face on the UFC poster in his promotional debut, Asakura said:

"I'm a little different than the other fighters. They're bringing me in because they have expectations from me to put on a great show. I'm not here to get awestruck. I'm here to show what I can do and show how great I am." [Via translator]

While explaining how he secured the UFC title fight opportunity, Asakura said:

"We, as a team, talked to the UFC about fighting someone in the top three and they had agreed to provide a top three challenger for me. We had a fight [booked] but unfortunately it fell through and after that fight fell through, I was given this opportunity to fight for the title and, of course, we didn't give it away." [2:39, via translator]

Check out Kai Asakura's comments below (1:08):

Champion Alexandre Pantoja has defeated No.1-ranked flyweight Brandon Roval and No. 2-ranked former champion Brandon Moreno in a not-so-distant past. Meanwhile, other fighters in the top ten, except No.7-ranked Asu Almabayev, of the division are coming off losses or do not have win streaks going.

In these circumstances, Asakura, a former Rizin champion and a Japanese MMA star seems to be a compelling matchup.