James Kaiware Kara-France, born on March 26, 1993, is a professional mixed martial artist from New Zealand. He competes in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). In November 2010, Kara-France started his MMA career in Auckland, New Zealand, with a first-round TKO victory against Ray Kaitiana.
At one point, Kara-France made the decision to leave his university after coming across a Facebook post that promoted a scholarship offered by Tiger Muay Thai Gym. He applied for the scholarship and successfully secured it after going through tryouts. This led him to relocate to Phuket, Thailand, in 2013, where he trained extensively and expanded his MMA record by competing across Asia and the Pacific region.
What Rank is Kai Kara-France?
Kai Kara-France is currently ranked No.3 on the UFC Flyweight Rankings. Ever since making his UFC debut in 2018, Kara-France has remained a top contender in the flyweight rankings.
Kara-France has notable victories over big names in the Flyweight division, including former Bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt.
Kai Kara-France’s Career in the UFC
Kai Kara-France signed with the UFC in July 2018 and made his debut on December 1, 2018, at UFC Fight Night: dos Santos vs. Tuivasa. Originally scheduled to face Ashkan Mokhtarian, he instead fought Elias Garcia and won the bout via unanimous decision, earning the Fight of the Night bonus. He went on to secure a split decision victory against Raulian Paiva at UFC 234 in February 2019 and a unanimous decision win against Mark De La Rosa at UFC Fight Night: Andrade vs. Zhang in August 2019.
In December 2019, Kara-France was set to fight Sergio Pettis at UFC 245 but ended up facing Brandon Moreno, losing the fight via unanimous decision. He rebounded with a unanimous decision victory against Tyson Nam at UFC Fight Night 168 in February 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, his scheduled fight against Alex Perez in May 2020 was postponed.
In September 2020, Kara-France faced Brandon Royval at UFC 253 and suffered a second-round submission loss, earning the Fight of the Night bonus. He returned with a first-round knockout win over Rogério Bontorin at UFC 259 in March 2021, earning the Performance of the Night bonus. He then defeated Cody Garbrandt via first-round TKO at UFC 269 in December 2021, securing another Performance of the Night award.
In March 2022, Kara-France handed Askar Askarov his first loss with a unanimous decision victory at UFC on ESPN 33. However, he faced Brandon Moreno in a rematch for the interim UFC Flyweight Championship in July 2022 and was defeated via third-round TKO, earning his fourth Fight of the Night bonus.
Kara-France was scheduled to fight Alex Perez at UFC 284 in February 2023 but had to withdraw due to a knee injury.
He lost his fight against Amir Albazi on June 3, 2023, at UFC on ESPN 46 via a split decision.
Last Updated On June 4, 2023
FAQs
A. Kara-France is currently ranked No.3 in the UFC Flyweight division.
A. Kara-France holds a professional MMA record of 24 wins, 10 losses, and 1 No Contest.
