Kai Asakura Targets Fresh Start at 135 Against Cameron Smotherman at UFC Fight Night Macau
Kai Asakura’s third UFC appearance is set for May 30 at UFC Fight Night: Song vs. Figueiredo in Macau, where he will face American bantamweight Cameron Smotherman in his first fight since moving up from flyweight. Asakura announced the matchup on his X account, promising to show an “evolved” version of himself in his new weight class.
Kai Asakura vs. Cameron Smotherman
UFC Fight Night: Song vs. Figueiredo takes place on May 30, 2026, at Galaxy Arena in Macau as part of a three-day UFC Fight Week that also includes Road to UFC Season 5 events on May 28 and 29. The card is headlined by a bantamweight bout between China’s Song Yadong and former two-time UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo, marking the promotion’s fifth trip to Macau and first since a November 2024 Fight Night headlined by Petr Yan and Figueiredo.
Asakura signed with the UFC in 2024 after a long run in RIZIN, where he held the bantamweight title and built a reputation for knockout power and sharp counterpunching. After entering the UFC at flyweight he earned a title shot against Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 310 in December 2024 and a subsequent bout with veteran Tim Elliott at UFC 319 in August 2025.
Asakura competed at flyweight through the Pantoja and Elliott fights, but he now confirms that the Smotherman clash in Macau will be his first UFC bout at bantamweight. The move brings him back to the division where he made his name in Japan, but under full UFC rules and without the soccer kicks and stomps that were part of his RIZIN highlight reel.
A key part of Kai Asakura’s story is how much of his early life revolved around real fights outside the gym. Growing up in Aichi, he and his older brother Mikuru were known for getting into scraps in the street, often clashing with other local kids and sometimes even each other, an experience Kai later credited for toughening him up before he ever set foot in a proper dojo.
At 18, Mikuru called him out in the middle of the night, handed him boxing gloves and tried to take his head off, only to find Kai slipping and avoiding nearly everything, a moment that convinced the younger Asakura he had a natural feel for fighting and pushed him to start formal MMA training.
Kai Asakura is widely regarded as a mainstream influencer in Japan, not just a top fighter. UFC’s own bio notes that his main YouTube channel has around 1.3 million subscribers and describes him as a “megastar in Japan” who is regularly invited onto television shows.
Smotherman fights out of the United States and competes in the UFC bantamweight division. His record lists him at 12–6 with a style built around steady output and a willingness to engage in prolonged striking exchanges, and his fights on regional cards and early UFC outings show a mix of decision wins and finishes.
Smotherman collapsed and face-planted on stage right after making weight for UFC 324 in Las Vegas, leading to the cancellation of his bout with Ricky Turcios and a viral clip that circulated online.
For Smotherman, the booking offers a high-visibility matchup against a former Japanese champion with a built-in following, giving him the opportunity to disrupt the promotional push behind Asakura’s divisional move.
