Kai Kara-France is fully confident he’s just a few days away from becoming the new UFC flyweight champion and intends to pull off a first in the process.
In the UFC 317 co-feature at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Kara-France (25-11 MMA, 8-4 UFC) gets the chance to fight for the undisputed flyweight title for the first time in his career. He’ll share the octagon with champion Alexandre Pantoja for the second time, although this instance will go on their professional records. The first meeting was on Season 24 of “The Ultimate Fighter” in a two-round exhibition bout in the quarterfinals of the tournament.
Kara-France isn’t putting any stock into what went down in 2016.
“We’re not the same fighters as nine years ago,” Kara-France told MMA Junkie. “I was just a boy pretty much, figuring this thing out. Didn’t know how to weight cut, I wasn’t training at CKB. I was training out of Thailand back then. So, a lot of things are different, and even Pantoja. Seeing the fighter that he is now and the world champion that he is – nothing but respect. He’s done amazing in his career.
“But every time you talk about the next contender in the flyweight division, after my last fight, you can’t deny me that I’m at the top. That’s because it’s a fresh matchup, something that nine years ago, is not really relevant now. People even forgot that we even did fight. It’s not on our records.”
Respect is present on both sides coming into this championship fight. Recently, Pantoja compared Kara-France to a hard-hitting boxing legend, Mike Tyson, for his knockout ability as a flyweight. Three of Kara-France’s last four wins ended in the first round due to his excellent punching power. Kara-France appreciates the comparison to Tyson, but gives credit to his heritage.
“It’s definitely an honor to be in the same – to be brought up as the Mike Tyson of the flyweights, but I’m the first Kai Kara-France of the flyweights,” Kara-France said. “So, I’ve got my own name to live up to and to write. I said that in my last fight when I fought Steve Erceg, when DC (Daniel Cormier) asked me, ‘How do you have all these knockouts on your record? Where does that power come from?’
“I went off the cuff, I didn’t really think about it too much. I just said what I was thinking, speaking my truth, saying, ‘It’s because I’m Māori, and that’s my superpower.’ That’s something I tap into. It’s something that anchors me, it’s something that fuels me, and allows me to make sense of everything. There’s no difference in this fight, I just have a stronger connection to why I’m doing this.”
Kara-France, who lost a challenge for the interim flyweight title against Brandon Moreno at UFC 277, vows to get the job done for the undisputed title at UFC 317. Not only does he believe he’ll win, but he’ll also do something that has never been done before, and that’s finishing Pantoja.
“Nothing but respect to Pantoja, but the way that I respect you is coming for that belt, and coming for your head,” Kara-France said. “I know he hasn’t been knocked out in the UFC, and he hasn’t been stopped. I want to be the first one to do that and make history.”
