MMA
Kai Asakura vows to show ‘new combination’ in UFC Shanghai KO bid
Published
2 months agoon
Asakura wants to showcase improvement in his next bout.
The former
Rizin Fighting Federation champ endured a disappointing start
in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship, getting finished in his first
two appearances. He then secured a win after moving up to
bantamweight and is set to meet Qileng Aori
next at
UFC Shanghai.
Kai Asakura targets Qileng Aori knockout after successful move
to bantamweight
Asakura recorded his first win in the UFC against Cameron
Smotherman earlier this year. He claims he's settled in nicely
at bantamweight and vowed to finish Aori when they clash on Aug. 29
to extend his win streak. However, he isn't just looking for a win,
stating that he wants to show off some new moves as well en route
to finding the knockout.
“I will knock him out and I will show a new combination this
Saturday,†Asakura said at UFC Shanghai media day.
The Japanese fighter also revealed that he wants to stay active and
compete again before the end of the year. Additionally, Asakura
expressed interest in fighting in his native Japan, where he
expects strong interest in a UFC event.
“I am stronger than my last fight.”
Entering his second fight of the 2026, Kai Asakura
(@kai_1031_) feels
135 pounds is the perfect division for him and plans to showcase it
once again at
#UFCShanghaiFight by Fight Preview âž¡ï¸https://t.co/JeUnGYBzaq pic.twitter.com/Tb64MEJCaa
— UFC News (@UFCNews)
August 25, 2026
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Alex Pereira says Josh Hokit would be much easier fight than Sergei Pavlovich
Published
16 hours agoon
October 25, 2026
Pereira has explained his frustration with the
Ultimate Fighting Championship's heavyweight matchmaking.
Pereira (13-4) is scheduled to face Sergei
Pavlovich (21-3) at UFC
335 on Dec. 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Meanwhile,
Josh
Hokit (10-0) will face Ciryl Gane
(14-2) for the heavyweight title at UFC
334 on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Pereira said he initially expected either a rematch with Gane or a
grudge match against Hokit, but he sees the Pavlovich booking as a
favorable stylistic matchup.
Alex Pereira explains UFC matchmaking frustration and why
Sergei Pavlovich is more dangerous than Josh Hokit
Pereira lost his UFC heavyweight debut to Gane by technical
knockout in an interim title bout at
UFC Freedom 250. After Tom
Aspinall relinquished the undisputed championship, Pereira said
the promotion discussed a title rematch with Gane or a fight
against Hokit, who has repeatedly criticized “Poatan.â€
Pereira considers Hokit an easier opponent than Pavlovich.
Nevertheless, he said a conversation with UFC executive Hunter
Campbell resolved his frustration, and he now looks forward to the
December bout.
“What got me more upset at that time was because they told me that
I was possibly going to fight Gane for the belt or fight Hokit,â€
Pereira told Ariel Helwani. “And then none of that happened. Coming
from a loss, fighting Hokit would be much, much easier for me than
fighting Pavlovich, who’s supposed to be a harder fight. Hokit
would be a much easier fight for me. We got together [with Hunter
Campbell], we talked, we straightened things out, so it was fine.
Pavlovich is a little more dangerous opponent, but looking at it in
a technical way today, I see that it’s actually also a very good
fight for me.â€
Alex
Pereira reveals what upset him about the UFC’s decision not to
book him against Ciryl Gane
or Josh
Hokit: “What got me more upset at that time was because they
told me that I was possibly going to fight Gane for the belt or
fight Hokit. And then none of that happened. Coming from a loss,
fighting Hokit would be much, much easier for me than fighting
Pavlovich, who’s supposed to be a harder fight. Hokit would be a
much easier fight for me. We got together [with Hunter Campbell],
we talked, we straightened things out, so it was fine. Pavlovich is
a little more dangerous opponent, but looking at it in a technical
way today, I see that it’s actually also a very good fight for
me.â€â€” Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani)
October 21, 2026
MMA
Islam Makhachev reveals why he turned down January fight with Carlos Prates
Published
17 hours agoon
October 25, 2026
Islam Makhachev has spoken up about why he's not fighting Carlos Prates in January.
For the last few weeks, the MMA world has been flooded with rumors that Makhachev would defend his welterweight title against Prates at UFC 336 in January; however, on Saturday, the UFC announced that those rumors are untrue. Instead, Prates will take on Michael Morales for an interim welterweight title at UFC 336, with the winner unifying against Makhachev sometime next year.
“Prates and Morales will fight, determine who a true worthy contender, and I will fight [the winner]. They will [fight] among themselves. …
“They offered me a fight with Prates, who recently lost to a [Ian Machado Garry] who I beat. If I beat him, Morales would already be next in line, who's not fighting and waiting for [a title shot]. Just let them fight and we will figure out who is the real challenger.â€
Ramadan begins on Feb. 7 and concludes on March 8 in 2027, meaning it is unlikely we will see Makhachev again until next summer.
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