UFC 319’s main card is officially underway, and veteran Tim Elliott dominated the fight against Kai Asakura as he secured a second-round guillotine choke to win the fight. Elliott has a unique way of fighting with his consistent movement, as he continued to secure a win as the underdog. Let’s take a deeper dive into the fight and discuss how things went for Tim Elliott to win this fight to open up the UFC 319 card.
Tim Elliott Secures 2nd Round Submission Victory over Kai Asakura
Aug 15, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, UNITED STATES; Tim Elliott during weigh ins for UFC 319 at Radius Chicago. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn ImagesTim Elliott had his first fight since Dec. 2019, and people were wondering how the 38-year-old fighter would look during UFC 319 against Kai Asakura. Elliott entered the fight as the 11th-ranked flyweight in the division and will certainly find his way inside the top 10 with this decisive decision against the 15th-ranked in the division. The first round was a bit more of a feeling-out process, but the second round saw Tim Elliott get the takedown he was looking for.
Kai Asakura looked to figure things out, but a takedown in the latter half of the second round gave Elliott the advantage as he synched in the guillotine choke deep with about one minute remaining. However, there was not much that Asakura could do at that point, and he was forced to submit with less than 25 seconds remaining in the second round. Elliott appeared to not be afraid of a knockout and it was clear with how he was attacking throughout the nine-plus minute fight.
Elliott now has won four of his last five fights and could be looking towards a fight against names like Alex Perez or Manel Kape towards the end of the calendar year. For Asakura, he has now lost his previous two fights and after losing in the main event of UFC 310 to Alexandre Pantoja. With the likely drop out of the rankings for him, it will be tough to see what he can do now to get back into the rankings.
Elliott showcased he still has it, but is not going to be in a position where he is going to be striking rather than attacking with his submission-based offense. With the UFC 319 main card just kicking off, this is going to be an intriguing card to see what else can happen in the octagon.
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