Kai Asakura accepts any ‘harsh criticism’ after UFC 319 loss: ‘I’m disappointed in myself’
Kai Asakura has issued a statement after his upset UFC 319 loss to Tim Elliott.
Asakura was set for his second UFC fight after being submitted by Alexandre Pantoja for the flyweight belt in his debut. In his second fight, he was a sizeable favorite against Elliott, but he suffered a second-round submission loss.
Following the loss, Asakura took to Instagram to issue a statement on the loss and claimed he’s ready to accept any harsh criticism.
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“I’m truly sorry to everyone who supported me,” Asakura wrote on Instagram in Japanese. “Honestly, I’m disappointed in myself. Things don’t always go as planned, but I won’t give up and will keep working hard to get back on track. I’ll become stronger and prove it with results so that I can someday look back on this loss as a positive experience. I’ll accept harsh criticism and come back stronger.”
Asakura is now 0-2 in the UFC after having plenty of hype entering the promotion. He is ranked 15th at flyweight and joined the UFC after being the RIZIN bantamweight champion. In his career, he has notable wins over Manel Kape, Kyoji Horiguchi, and Juan Archuleta, among others.
Former opponent expects Kai Asakura to have success in UFC
Although Asakura is now 0-2 in the UFC, Tim Elliott remains confident that the former RIZIN champ will have success.
Elliott believes it’s an adjustment fighting in the Octagon, so he has confidence Asakura will be able to turn it around.
“It sucks for him. He’s an ex-champ, but he’s going to be fine,” Elliott said. “He’s still got a lot more fight left in him, he’s still a fighter who could be a UFC champion. I have no doubts about him. But he’s spent his whole career fighting in a square ring, not an octagon. It’s totally different. I couldn’t imagine making those adjustments in two fights.”
Asakura is now 21-6 as a pro.
This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM
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