Kiwi eyes UFC statement
Three years since his last Vegas fight, Kai Kara-France is ready to show just how far he’s come on one of the biggest UFC cards of the year. Marvin France reports.
Kai Kara-France is refusing to get distracted by the opportunities on the horizon as he bids to become New Zealand’s latest UFC title contender in Las Vegas next weekend. The Kiwi flyweight’s first 12 months on the roster of the global mixed martial arts promotion could not have gone better.
This time last year Kara-France had just made his UFC debut with a Fight of the Night performance in Adelaide.
Two more dynamic displays later – stretching his overall streak to eight straight wins – the 26-year-old now finds himself ranked sixth in the division with a new contract in hand, and about to take part in one of the biggest cards of the year.
Kara-France (20-7) squares off against fifth-ranked Brandon Moreno (15-5-1) at UFC 245 next Sunday (NZ time), with another victory likely to thrust him into the title conversation in 2020.
Then there’s the UFC’s upcoming return to Auckland. The promotion only visits these shores every couple of years and Kara-France would love nothing more than to fight in his hometown alongside City Kickboxing teammates Dan Hooker and Brad Riddell on February 23.
But there are other factors to consider first, namely the highly rated Mexican standing in his way, who is the sole focus of his attention.
‘‘I’d love to fight in Auckland but it depends on who’s available and who doesn’t have a fight matched,’’ KaraFrance told Sunday News. ‘‘Ideally, that would be the situation I’d want to be in, but I don’t want to look past Brandon so we’ll get past this guy first.
‘‘The only thing I can control is this fight so I’m going to go in there and not hold anything back. After the fight then I’ll sit down with Eugene [Bareman, head coach] and the coaches and make a plan from there.’’
The fight marks Kara France’s first in Las Vegas since starring on the UFC’s reality show The Ultimate Fighter in 2016.
After producing the only knockout of the season, the general consensus among fans was that a UFC contract would soon follow.
Instead, he had to wait a whole two years for the call to come, even as he continued to rack up wins on the Asian circuit.
Kara-France’s patience was eventually rewarded but, as frustrating as it was, he now sees his long path to the UFC as a ‘‘blessing in disguise’’.
‘‘Back then I wasn’t ready enough maturity-wise, experience-wise,’’ he said. ‘‘But we did the right things by building myself up and fighting in Asia, getting more experience, taking hard fights and learning those lessons outside the UFC, so when we did make our debut we could hit the ground running and that’s what happened.’’
With Moreno also featuring on the same season of The Ultimate Fighter, the pair are familiar with each other’s style. Despite losing his opening bout to top seed Alexandre Pantoja, Moreno was the first contestant signed by the UFC after being picked up as a late replacement while the show was still airing.
While the 25-year-old’s grounding was in jiu-jitsu, he has developed into a resilient all-round fighter, but KaraFrance is confident his speed, power and fight IQ will prove the difference.
‘‘On paper it’s striker versus grappler but he’s more than a grappler, he comes to swing.
‘‘He’s definitely game and being from a Mexican background, I’ve fought a few now and they all have hard heads and they’re tough. It’s going to be hard to take him out but I feel like I’ve got the tools to do it. I’ve just got to be patient, not rush it and let him walk into something he doesn’t see.
‘‘Stand-up-wise that’s where I want to keep it because he does have a world-class ground game. But my last opponent [Mark De La Rosa] was a black belt in jiu-jitsu and I neutralised that pretty easily so we’re looking to do the same and hurt him as well.’’
Kara-France isn’t the only City Kickboxing fighter on the UFC 245 card as Australian Alex Volkanovski goes for gold against featherweight champion Max Holloway, one of three title fights on the night.
Training alongside the championship contender has been a big source of motivation for Kara-France and after another huge year for the Auckland gym, they plan to deliver an early Christmas present.
‘‘It’s been good to be in camp and push each other, lean on each other when we need to. It’s been smooth sailing and we’re ready to get in there and do it. I feel like fighting in Vegas on such a big card, we’re just going to rise with the pressure and make a statement.’’