Kara-France books UFC return
Refreshed and recharged, Kai KaraFrance is ready to resume his rise up the UFC flyweight rankings.
Kara-France (19-7) will attempt to make it three from three in the world’s premier MMA promotion after being added to the ESPN Fight Night card in Shenzhen, China, on August 31, where he will face American Mark De La Rosa (11-2).
The 26-year-old Aucklander made the best possible start to his UFC career with two victories in a little over two months, extending his overall winning streak to seven.
His momentum stalled after a wrist injury picked up in his most recent win over Raulian Paiva in February was followed by a run of illness, which prevented him from getting back into a consistent training routine.
But having made the most of the enforced break, the top-10 contender is eager to make up for lost time.
‘‘It’s been a good little period for me having five to six months off. I’ve been able to let injuries heal and the mind refresh and now I’m excited to get back in there,’’ Kara-France told Stuff.
‘‘I’ve missed that feeling of fight week, walking out to the cage and then just letting it all out there.
‘‘I’ve started to find my stride where we’re getting some good work in. The fight’s about seven weeks away but I’m feeling ready to go now so it’s a good sign and I’m feeling confident.’’
De La Rosa is returning to the division after moving up to bantamweight for his last two bouts, including a decision defeat to Alex Perez in his last start in March.
He and Kara-France share one common opponent in Elias Garcia, who the Kiwi recorded a dominant unanimous decision over in his UFC debut last December.
De La Rosa beat Garcia via a firstround rear-naked choke 12 months ago – one of six submission victories to his name.
While Kara-France is wary of the 24-year-old’s ground game, he’s confident his stellar striking combined with the expert game-planning of his City Kickboxing coaches will give him the edge.
‘‘He’s got a few rear-naked chokes on his record so that’s a position we’ve extensively trained not to get in,’’ Kara-France said.
‘‘Not saying that if he gets me in that position I won’t be able to counter it, but the best defence for submissions is to keep it where we’re stronger, where I feel like our standup will be one step ahead and bit more cleaner than his style.
‘‘We’ll figure out the puzzle and solve it eventually.’’
After a long period of uncertainty, UFC president Dana White last month confirmed the flyweight division was here to stay, thanks in large part to the success of doublechampion Henry Cejudo.
That was music to the ears of Kara-France, who is already up to ninth in the rankings with plans on making another quick jump.
First things first, he has to get past De La Rosa. But he’s hoping a standout display in China will put him in contention for a spot on the card of team-mate Israel Adesanya’s middleweight title fight against Robert Whittaker, expected to be in Australia, just six weeks later.
‘‘I’m not looking past Mark at all, he’s what I’m focused on. But that’s the ideal situation if no injuries are holding me back and I’m ready to go again,’’ Kara-France said.
‘‘I had seven weeks from Adelaide into Melbourne, so a similar situation and it didn’t hurt me at all. I know the Anzac crowd would want me on the card seeing I already fought there. I feel like we’re in a good position to keep pushing and tick one thing off at a time.’’