Overview
- Asakura scored a 1:50 first-round knockout of Cameron Smotherman at UFC Macau on May 30, landing a right hand followed by a left hook that forced the referee to stop the bout.
- The finish earned Asakura a $100,000 Performance of the Night bonus that he said he would share with his coaches.
- The victory is Asakura's first in the UFC after two earlier submission losses at flyweight, and he told the UFC in a post-fight interview that he plans to remain at bantamweight.
- Smotherman's loss was his third straight defeat and dropped his UFC record to 1-3, raising questions about his near-term standing on the roster.
- Asakura arrives in the Octagon with a proven RIZIN bantamweight pedigree that includes wins over Kyoji Horiguchi, Manel Kape and Juan Archuleta, and his Macau rebound sets up a test of whether that form will translate long term in the UFC.