Photo: Terrifying X-ray of when UFC's new title challenger Kai Asakura left his RIZIN opponent's jaw broken in two places

Alexandre Pantoja could be in a whole world of trouble when he faces former RIZIN bantamweight champion Kai Asakura at UFC 310. Asakura has a penchant for knockouts and he seems to fetch them violently.

None is more familiar with the 31-year-old's heavy hands than his former opponent Yuta Sasaki. 'Ulka' faced Asakura in the first round of the 2019 Rizin 19: Lightweight Grand Prix, where he was on the receiving end of a violent knockout.

During the fight, the soon-to-be UFC title challenger pounced on his opponent right from the string bell, smothering him with strikes. The fighter soon landed a nuclear right hook on the button that made his opponent crumble down to the canvas.

When Sasaki tried to find his footing again, Asakura once again put him down with a vicious uppercut to the jaw. The fighter then overwhelmed his opponent with ground-and-pound, forcing the referee to call off the fight at 54 seconds of the opening round.

Watch Kai Asakura finish Yuta Sakai below:

Unfortunately, Sasaki's perils didn't end with the loss. He had also broken his jaw during the contest. In a post on X following the fight, 'Ulka' revealed that he had broken his jaw in two places during the contest and would be undergoing surgery.

Elaborating on his opponent's power, the fighter wrote:

"The first shot broke the back, and the uppercut broke the middlepart. It was more powerful than any punch I had ever received. [Transalted by Google]"

Check out the jaw-break Kai Asakura inflicted on his opponent below:

Asakura will make his promotional debut at UFC 310 where he'll challenge fly champion Pantoja for the title in the headline bout.

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Kai Asakura is not surprised about getting title fight in UFC debut

While a debutant fighting for the UFC title is largely unheard of, Kai Asakura was not too surprised that he landed the unique opportunity.

Talking to MMA Junkie, the Japanese national revealed that he was originally promised a top 3 opponent when he signed with the promotion, but was later expedited to a title shot after his originally planned fight fell through.

The fighter, however, is far from surprised by this. During the interview, he explained his rationale for why the has not taken aback by getting placed on the top of the bill in his debut:

"I'm not trying to brag... but if you look at my RIZIN fighting career, I've finished a lot of UFC guys until now. So for me, it wasn't a surprise to be put in this situation where I was placed on the top of the card [was handed] a title fight straight away, because record demonstrates I'm deserving of being there."

Catch Kai Asakura's comments below (3:47):