Kai Asakura scores first-round knockout of Cameron Smotherman at UFC Macau

Kai Asakura returned to the bantamweight division on Saturday on the UFC Macau main card against Cameron Smotherman and did not disappoint. He snapped a two-fight skid and left the fans inside Galaxy Arena in a frenzy. In under two minutes, Asakura dispatched Smotherman. Check out the fight ...

Kai Asakura finally lived up to his billing earlier this morning (Sat., May 30, 2026) at UFC Macau LIVE on Paramount+ from inside Galaxy Arena in Macau, China, when the former RIZIN bantamweight champion toppled Cameron Smotherman with a violent knockout finish just under two minutes into the first round. Without knowing where Asakura comes […]

Kai Asakura made an explosive UFC bantamweight debut

MACAU, CHINA - MAY 30: (R-L) Kai Asakura of Japan punches Cameron Smotherman in a bantamweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Galaxy Arena on May 30, 2026 in Macau, China. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Kai Asakura is back. The former RIZIN champion moved back up to 135 pounds—the weight class in which he reigned during his time in the Japanese promotion—and was in vintage form Saturday at UFC Macau as he picked up his first octagon victory with a stunning first-round knockout over Cameron Smotherman. Watch Asakura’s brutal finish below. Kai Asakura gets his first UFC win violently at #UFCMacau! 🤯pic.twitter.com/DhK24wQ0oY — MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) May 30, 2026 Asakura was in Smotherman’s face from the opening bell, pressuring Smotherman while also taking his time to search for openings to throw power strikes. It didn’t take long for Asakura to land a crushing right hand, sending his opponent retreating to the fence. Asakura was relentless and a follow-up left hook dropped Smotherman to the canvas and put him down for good just 1:50 into Round 1. It was a huge moment for Asakura (22-6), who was 0-2 in a pair of flyweight appearances in the UFC. Asakura signed with the promotion in 2024 and was granted an immediate title shot against Alexandre Pantoja, but was dominated en route to a second-round submission loss. He didn’t fare much better in his second UFC fight, losing by submission again to veteran Tim Elliott. Now, back at bantamweight, Asakura appears to have regained the championship form he showed during his star-making six-year run with RIZIN, where he earned wins over the likes of Kyoji Horiguchi, Manel Kape, and Juan Archuleta. Smotherman (12-7) could be facing a pink slip after losing his third straight fight and seeing his UFC record fall to 1-3.

Kai Asakura is finally on the UFC map.