Kai Asakura vs. Cameron Smotherman, UFC Macau weigh-in Credit: Youtube/UFC
Kai Asakura made the move to bantamweight at UFC Macau, taking on Cameron Smotherman after starting his UFC run challenging for flyweight gold.
Asakura ripped a heavy leg kick early, spinning Smotherman around. A head kick followed, with Smotherman staying calm, guard high. A left jab for Asakura landed, and Smotherman finally threw a counter. A combination by Asakura followed, the right hand of which Smotherman! And moments later, Asakura had Smotherman along the fence, hurt, and this time it was a left hook felling Cameron. Smotherman hit the canvas, Asakura hit his fallen opponent a few more times, and the ref rushed in to make the save.
After losing to Alexandre Pantoja in his UFC debut then dropping a follow-up fight against veteran Tim Elliott, it felt as if Asakura, one of RIZIN’s biggest superstars, was on the bubble. The move up in weight appears to have worked wonders, however, with Asakura looking strong from the outset. Smotherman, meanwhile, has now lost three straight fights after dropping decisions to Ricky Simon and Serhiy Sidey.
“I lost two fights, so yeah. I wanted to show how strong I am in the fight,” Asakura said following his first UFC victory. “I believe my striking is best in the world.”
Official Result: Kai Asakura def. Cameron Smotherman by KO, Round 1, 1:50
