Alexandre Pantoja, Kai Asakura's Next Best Fights After UFC 310 Results

Alexandre Pantoja remained the king of the flyweight division while Kai Asakura came short of making history at UFC 310. Where both go next is now the top question to ask at 125 pounds.

For Pantoja, the third successful title defense makes him the most successful champion in the division since Demetrious Johnson. Mighty Mouse once defended the belt 11 times while no one other than Pantoja has defended it three times since.

The next batch of contenders for Pantoja could be some familiar names. Asakura was able to get a title shot in his UFC debut, in part, because there was a dearth of competitors at the top of the weight class.

Here, we'll take a look at the champion's next best options and where Asakura could go now that he didn't become Japan's first UFC champion.

• Demetrious Johnson
• Brandon Moreno
• Brandon Royval

There's a reason the UFC brought in a champion from another promotion to take on Pantoja. There are a few fresh faces who are on the cusp of a title shot, but the options are mostly limited to some familiar names.

Brandon Moreno stands out as the top option when factoring in realistic possibilities.

The former champion lost his belt to Pantoja, but it was a competitive split decision that he'd like to have back. After scoring a win over rising contender Amir Albazi in November he called out his former rival.

A split decision loss to Brandon Royval back in February is the strongest argument against Moreno getting his rematch. The other Brandon could certainly be next in line, but his other win after beating Moreno was a split decision against Tatsuro Taira.

Ultimately, either Brandon is going to be hard to push in the main event slot. If the UFC wants to continue marketing Pantoja as a main eventer, the only option is the one that Pantoja wants more than anything.

The Brazilian's reaction to former flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson retiring revealed a desire to see the best flyweight ever.

"Now he retired, and now UFC can contract him again," Pantoja told MMA Fighting. "The only thing I can think about is that. I don't know if they can do that."

Despite Pantoja's wishes that really feels like a long shot. Johnson was a dominant UFC champion with 11 consecutive defenses, but the UFC traded him to ONE in exchange for Ben Askren back in 2018.

• Kai Kara-France
• Tatsuro Taira
• Deiveson Figueiredo

Kai Asukara may have come short of becoming the first UFC debutant to win a title, but he's still an exciting addition to a division that needs new challenger.

His knockout power is going to draw a lot of fans if he gets the right matchups. A date with Kai Kara-France could do the trick. Kara-France isn't afraid to stand and strike. His first-round knockout win over Steve Erceg is a good example.

Kara-France is looking to get back into the title picture after back-to-back losses to Brandon Moreno. A win over Asukara would help that cause.

At the same time, Kara-France is a fun stylistic matchup for a knockout artist like Asukara.

If the UFC is looking to really pique Japanese interest then a matchup with Tatsuro Taira as a headliner for a fight night card would be a smart move. Taira is coming off a split decision loss to Brandon Royval after a 16-0 start to his career.

Taking on a veteran like Asukara would leave one of them with a good shot at earning a high-profile title eliminator.

The other option is for Asakura to go back to the weight class where he was champion in the RIZIN Fighting Federation. This bout actually marked his first time at flyweight since 2018.

If he's not looking to make the weight cut again then a matchup against fellow former flyweight Deiveson Figuereido would make sense for both parties.

Figueiredo is also abnormally powerful for a smaller striker and is looking to make inroads in the 135-pound weight class.