Dana White Optimistic About Future of UFC-Japan Relationship

Dana White exited #UFC310 with RIZIN president Nobiyuki Sakakibara pic.twitter.com/GFvOvfiDsT

— Nolan King (@mma_kings) December 8, 2024Though UFC 310 wasn’t a cross-promoted event, there were some elements that gave Saturday’s card a little bit of a different feel.

That started with the main event, where former Rizin Fighting Federation bantamweight champion Kai Asakura was given a flyweight title shot against Alexandre Pantoja in his Octagon debut. Though Asakura had his moments in the early going, he ultimately succumbed to a rear-naked choke from his Brazilian opponent at the 2:05 mark of the second round. There’s no shame in coming up short against Pantoja, who is one of the top…