Overview
- Kai Asakura, who scored the win Saturday, defeated Cameron Smotherman by knockout 1:50 into the first round at UFC Macau.
- Asakura moved back to bantamweight, the weight class where he thrived in RIZIN, which led to his first UFC victory after two earlier losses at flyweight.
- The finish came after Asakura landed a heavy leg kick and a head kick to create openings, then connected with a right hand and a left hook that dropped Smotherman before the referee intervened.
- Smotherman has now dropped three straight fights and fallen to 1-3 in the UFC, a losing streak that coverage says could put his roster spot at risk.
- Asakura's performance recalls his six-year RIZIN run with wins over Kyoji Horiguchi, Manel Kape and Juan Archuleta and could reset his standing in the UFC bantamweight division.