Kai Asakura is fighting for the flyweight title in the main event of UFC 310 -- his first-ever bout in the United States -- and the Japanese MMA star says there's one special person he'd love to see Octagon-side ... Shohei Ohtani!
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00:00He is very good. He is a good mentor. He has a very good mentor.
00:13Is he the toughest opponent that you've faced?
00:19I don't think so.
00:23When you step in there at UFC 310, how do you plan on beating him?
00:29Is it a knockout? Is it submission? Or however the fight presents itself?
00:34Maybe submission.
00:38What should the American audience know about you, Kai, that a lot of people are going to see you for the first time?
00:44What should they expect when you get in there against Pantoja?
00:50What is your impression of the American audience when they see you against Kai for the first time?
01:05I think a lot of people are going to see my fight for the first time.
01:10I am confident that I will have a more flashy fight than anyone else.
01:16If they see my fight, they will like my fighting style. I want them to see it.
01:40Are you nervous fighting here for the first time? Fighting in the UFC for the first time?
01:44No. Not nervous.
01:49We've seen Japanese athletes dominate here lately in the United States.
01:54Shohei Ohtani, you know, one comes to mind. Are you the Shohei Ohtani of mixed martial arts?
02:02Kai is popular with a lot of Japanese fighters in the United States.
02:09Do you think you are the Ohtani of mixed martial arts?
02:31How popular is Ohtani in Japan?
02:37Japanese people, everybody knows him.
02:43Every day, big news on TV.
02:48Have you ever met him? Is that somebody that you'd like to meet perhaps while you're in the United States?
03:00I've never met him, but I'd love him to come and watch my fight.