Kai Kara-France

Overview

Three knockouts in the UFC, all in the first round, and none of them needed more than 4:55 to land. The other five wins went the distance.

Kai Kara-France, "Don't Blink," is a New Zealand flyweight with City Kickboxing and a UFC record of 8-5. He has not held a belt, but he has fought in a five-round main event and shared the cage with some of the best the division has offered. He carries a loss into his next fight.

Power on one side, a long list of decisions on the other.

UFC Career

Kara-France debuted in late 2018 and opened 3-0 with three decisions: Elias Garcia (unanimous), Raulian Paiva (split) and Mark De La Rosa (unanimous). None of them ended early.

The first setback came in December 2019, a unanimous decision loss to Brandon Moreno. He answered with a unanimous decision win over Tyson Nam, then lost by submission to Brandon Royval in the second round at 0:48 in September 2020.

The knockouts arrived in 2021. Rogerio Bontorin went down at 4:55 of round one, and Cody Garbrandt followed at 3:21 of round one that December. Askar Askarov made it three straight wins by unanimous decision in March 2022, his longest streak in the UFC.

Moreno came back in July 2022 and stopped him in round three at 4:34. Our model rates Moreno a strong opponent at that point. Kara-France then headlined a five-round fight against Amir Albazi in June 2023 and lost a split decision, another strong opponent by our model's read.

Steve Erceg was stopped at 4:04 of round one at UFC 305 in August 2024. Then came the hardest test: Alexandre Pantoja, an elite opponent by our model, submitted him in round three at 1:55 at UFC 317.

Eight wins, five losses, and a résumé that includes two fights each against Moreno and the elite tier of the division.

Fighting Style

Kara-France is a busy striker who is hard to hit. He throws and lands plenty, takes little in return, and his defense is a real strength. The weak spot is accuracy, since he connects on a smaller share of his shots than most fighters.

He rarely looks for takedowns or submissions, so he is almost entirely a stand-up fighter. He is also tough to take down, which makes it easier for him to keep the fight on the feet.

His finishing pattern fits that picture. All three of his UFC finishes are first-round knockouts, and the rest of his eight wins came by decision. The risk is on the other side: two of his five UFC losses came by submission and one by knockout.

Notable Wins

• Steve Erceg — KO/TKO, round 1 (4:04), UFC 305 (2024)
• Cody Garbrandt — KO/TKO, round 1 (3:21), UFC 269 (2021)
• Rogerio Bontorin — KO/TKO, round 1 (4:55), UFC 259 (2021)
• Askar Askarov — unanimous decision, UFC Fight Night (2022)

Quick Facts

• Division: Flyweight
• UFC record: 8-5
• Professional record (all promotions): 25-12-0
• UFC debut: 2018
• Stance: Orthodox
• Height / reach: 5'4" / 69"
• Team: City Kickboxing
• Born: Auckland, New Zealand