Two Japanese Fighters, Two Finishes: What UFC Shanghai Actually Proved
Two Japanese fighters, one night, two finishes
Shanghai, 29 August 2026. Two Japanese fighters walked into the UFC cage that night. Both won, and both finished.
- Kai Asakura — KO over Aoriqileng at 0:34 of round two (left high kick, then punches)
- Rei Tsuruya — submission over Kevin Borjas at 4:14 of round one (rear-naked choke)
Neither needed the judges. Full details and all thirteen results are in UFC Shanghai results.
The two wins mean different things
| Kai Asakura | Rei Tsuruya | |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 32 | 24 |
| Record | 23-6 (15 KOs) | 12-1 (6 subs) |
| UFC record | 2-2 | 3-1 |
| This fight | KO, R2 0:34 | Submission, R1 4:14 |
| What it signals | A rebuild completed | A rise continuing |
Asakura's win is a report that he is back. His UFC debut was a flyweight title shot he lost to Alexandre Pantoja by submission; he then lost to Tim Elliott by guillotine, leaving him 0-2. Moving back to his natural bantamweight was the correction. A first-round knockout of Cameron Smotherman in May, and now this. Two straight UFC finishes is not a number to wave away.
Tsuruya's submission is evidence that he is still climbing. A first-round rear-naked choke of Luis Gurule in May at 3:19; a first-round rear-naked choke of Borjas in August at 4:14. Twice in three months he has taken the back and closed the choke inside a round — at 24.
One line to keep the celebration honest
Neither opponent was ranked. In the UFC, evaluations move when you beat a ranked fighter, and that part is still ahead.
Three Japanese fighters currently appear in the UFC rankings:
| Fighter | Division | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Tatsuro Taira | Flyweight | #4 |
| Kyoji Horiguchi | Flyweight | #5 |
| Mizuki | Women's Strawweight | #15 |
Asakura and Tsuruya are not on that list yet. Who they fight next is what prices the two wins from 29 August.
Still, this is progress
Japan has a strong domestic league in RIZIN. Precisely because of that, one question has hung over Japanese MMA for years: how far does dominance at home actually travel?
Shanghai answered it twice in one night, and both answers were encouraging. A former domestic champion (Asakura) is competitive once the weight class is right. A graduate of the developmental tournament pipeline (Tsuruya) can keep climbing without a detour.
That Japan's first UFC champion is now a question of who and when rather than whether is the cumulative result of nights like this one. Where it stands: When will Japan get its first UFC champion?
Sources
- UFC, "Main Card Results | UFC Shanghai" — https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-shanghai-results-nurmagomedov-vs-song
- UFC, "Prelim Results | UFC Shanghai" — https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-shanghai-prelim-results-nurmagomedov-vs-song
- UFC official rankings — https://www.ufc.com/rankings (retrieved 31 August 2026)
FAQ
- How many Japanese fighters won at UFC Shanghai?
- Both of them. Kai Asakura knocked out Aoriqileng at 0:34 of round two, and Rei Tsuruya submitted Kevin Borjas at 4:14 of round one. Both wins were finishes.
- Will these wins move them up the rankings?
- Not necessarily on their own — neither opponent was ranked. In the UFC, rankings tend to move when you beat a ranked fighter, so the next matchup matters more than this one.
- Which Japanese fighters are currently UFC-ranked?
- Three, as of 31 August 2026: Tatsuro Taira at #4 flyweight, Kyoji Horiguchi at #5 flyweight, and Mizuki at #15 women's strawweight.