Latest news with #AlexandrePantoja
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Sport
- RNZ News
UFC flyweight Kai Kara-France 'starving' for championship ahead of Pantoja fight
Kai Kara France after defeating Raulian Paiva at UFC 234 at Rod Laver Arena Melbourne in 2019. Photo: Brendon Ratnayake / Kai Kara-France has been sharpening his tools for almost two decades, and now says it is finally time to carve his name into history. The kiwi will fight Brazilian champion Alexandre Pantoja for flyweight gold at UFC 317 on June 29. "It's time to eat and I'm hungry. I'm starving. 15 years I've prepared me for this and it's a different mode I'm feeding off. I've got to attack this and go and take it from the guy." With 13 knockouts in a division that rarely sees them, Kara-France is hunting number 14 - and the belt that comes with it. "I've been a professional 15 years now fighting, 15 years to prepare for this," Kara-France said. The 32-year-old said the name standing across from him was irrelevant. "Every time I step in there, it's me against myself. I don't really look at my opponent in much detail. My coaches and my team do that. I just focus on what I can control, bringing my best mentally, physically, and spiritually. I've figured that out in the fight game. It's usually who can do that is who gets their hand raised." He said he knew he possessed a weapon which could end the fight in an instant. "Something I've got in my back pocket is 13 knockouts in the flyweight division where there's not many knockouts. Pantoja's never been finished in the UFC, never been knocked out. I want to be the first one to do it. I know he's going to bring it to me, but I've got that in my back pocket waiting for him, ready to land that shot." It's been a rough road to a second title shot for Kara-France, who has recently battled the effects of multiple concussions throughout his career, sidelining him for 14 months. "All these things you have to go through to gain experience and knowledge, but it was being honest with yourself, knowing where you truly are at and not thinking you're invincible." He said his journey has simply hardened his resolve. Kai Kara-France at UFC 234 media call at City Kickboxing. Photo: ALAN_LEE "I haven't had an undefeated record, I've built my way up. I've had to fight for it. When you've tasted it, all the wins, the losses, the speed bumps, when you get in there, you're unshakeable because you've tasted it all." Kara-France (25-11-1), is 1-2 in his last three trips to the octagon, however his most recent appearance was an emphatic TKO of Australian contender Steve Erceg in August of last year. His first shot at gold ended abruptly when Brandon Moreno connected with a picture perfect liver kick at UFC 277 in July 2022. "Before that it was probably my best round. I cut him. His face was all bloodied and bruised, but he's a tough guy. He's a fighter and he did well to capitalise on that moment, getting underneath my elbow and took my breath away. But it just showed that I'm right there with the best guys and how close this division is. Anyone could be anyone." The flyweight title fight will co-main event the card, with the lightweight also on the line between Charles Oliveira and Ilia Topuria. "Don't count me out. I've had injuries and had setbacks, I'm still one of the best guys. And the UFC rewarded me with a co-main event on the biggest card of the year." Pantoja (29-5) will be looking for a fourth consecutive defence, having taken the title from Moreno before seeing off challenges from Brandon Royval, Erceg and Kai Asakura. This won't be the first clash between Kara-France and Pantoja, the pair meeting in a two round exhibition bout on The Ultimate Fighter in 2016, the Kiwi on the end of a unanimous decision loss. France winning fight via knock out on the UFC series "The Ultimate Fighter". Photo: Facebook - Kai Kara France "A lot's happened since nine years. He's obviously become a world champion. I've progressed in my career, I've found my feet where I'm knocking guys out and living up to my nickname." Nine years later, the rematch takes place on one of the biggest cards of 2025. "It's a cool storyline. I get to run this back. We have shared the octagon and I felt his power, felt his world-class jujitsu and I did well in that fight to scramble and get back to my feet. Standup was quite equal, but it's all different now. I think I've refined my skillset to know that I can take out most guys." Kara-France said he had nothing but respect for Pantoja. "We have shared cards before and it's nothing personal. He is a family man and I respect that he's been a great champion, but this fight's bigger than me." However, while he may respect him, 'Don't Blink' intends to be ruthless once the cage door closes. "I'm going out there to attack this and just I'm ready for a fight. I know Pantoja is going to be tough and come forward, but I feel like that's what's going to make him vulnerable and it's going to leave openings where I can find that shot. So 13 knockouts on my record, about to be 14." 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Forbes
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
UFC 317 Co-Main Event Pantoja Vs. Kara-France Opening Betting Odds
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JULY 08: Alexandre Pantoja celebrates after defeating UFC flyweight champion ... More Brandon Moreno during UFC 290 at T-Mobile Arena on July 08, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Pantoja won the title by split decision. (Photo by) Two UFC title fights headline the upcoming UFC 317 fight card. In the main event, two former champions, Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira, battle it out for the vacant UFC lightweight strap. Meanwhile, in the UFC 317 co-main event, UFC flyweight kingpin Alexandre Pantoja attempts to make his fourth defense of the title he claimed in June 2023 against former interim UFC 125-pound title challenger Kai Kara France. UFC 317 takes place on June 28 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The ESPN+ streaming pay-per-view card headlines this year's version of the UFC's annual International Fight Week. LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - DECEMBER 07: Alexandre Pantoja of Brazil celebrates after his win by technical ... More submission in the second round against Kai Asakura of Japanduring UFC 310 at T-Mobile Arena on December 07, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by) When BetOnline first published the betting line for the Pantoja vs. Kara-France matchup, the champ opened as the -250 betting favorite over the +210 underdog. Today, Pantoja is listed at -260, while Kara-France checks in at +220. LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - DECEMBER 16: Alexandre Pantoja of Brazil exits the Octagon following the UFC ... More flyweight championship fight during the UFC 296 event at T-Mobile Arena on December 16, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) Alexandre Pantoja (29-5) is on a seven-fight winning streak heading into UFC 317. The 35-year-old Brazilian made his UFC debut in July 2017 with a split-decision win over Eric Shelton. Pantoja's career had its ups and downs over the next three years, where he went 5-3, but he has not lost since he dropped a decision to Askar Askarov in July 2020. Pantoja won the UFC flyweight title in July 2023 on the heels of two 'Performance of the Night' submission wins. Pantoja secured the 125-pound title with a split decision win over Brandon Moreno. Since that victory, Pantoja has defended his three times, beating Brandon Royval in December 2023 and Steve Erceg in May 2024. Both fights ended in decision victories. Pantoja picked up his 19th career finish in his third title defense, submitting Kai Asakura at UFC 310 in December 2024. PERTH, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 18: Kai Kara-France of New Zealand prepares to face Steve Erceg of ... More Australia in a flyweight fight during the UFC 305 event at RAC Arena on August 18, 2024 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Kai Kara-France (25-11-0-1) was 17-7-0-1 when he got the call from the UFC in 2019. In his first fight with the promotion, the New Zealander faced a short-notice opponent in Elias Garcia. The two won 'Fight of the Night' honors for their efforts, with Kara-France picking up the decision win. Kara-France followed that victory with two more wins on the judge's scorecards. Then, in December 2019, he faced future champion Brandon Moreno on the early prelims of the UFC 245 pay-per-view card. Moreno won that bout by decision. Kara-France went 1-1 in his next two outings. He then tore off three straight wins between March 2021 and March 2022 and found himself as the No. 2 ranked fighter in the division. In his next outing, he faced Moreno, who was ranked No. 1, in the co-main event of UFC 277. At stake was the interim UFC flyweight title. Moreno won that contest by TKO in the third round. Kara-France followed that setback with a split-decision loss to Amir Albazi in June 2023. Kara-France was booked to face Manel Kape in September 2023, but a concussion during training camp prevented Kara-France from competing on that card, UFC 293. The 32-year-old would not return to action until August 2024, where he earned a first-round TKO win, and a 'Performance of the Night' bonus against Steve Erceg. Kara-France enters UFC 317 as the No. 4 fighter in the official UFC flyweight rankings. We will have more on the UFC 317 fight card and as fight night approaches.
Reuters
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Ilia Topuria moving up for title shot vs. Charles Oliveira at UFC 317
May 20 - Vying to become the 10th UFC fighter to win titles in two divisions, undefeated former featherweight titleholder Ilia Topuria will face former 155-pound champion Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title in UFC 317's main event June 28 in Las Vegas. Topuria (16-0), ranked as the men's No. 3 pound-for-pound fighter, has wins over Max Holloway, Alexander Volkanovski and Bryce Mitchell on his resume and aims to add another against Oliveira (35-10, one no-contest), who looks to become UFC's first two-time lightweight champ. In another title bout, flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja will defend his crown against No. 4 contender Kai Kara-France in a matchup of former "The Ultimate Fighter" season 24 castmates. Pantoja (29-5), the No. 10 pound-for-pound fighter who excels at submissions, seeks his fourth consecutive title defense. Kara-France (25-11, 1 NC), meanwhile, eyes his first UFC title following a knockout of Steve Erceg last year. Among the other bouts on the card will be a matchup of No. 9 lightweight contender Beneil Dariush (22-6-1) clashing with No. 10 Renato Moicano (20-6-1), No. 1 flyweight contender Brandon Royval (17-7) tangling with No. 6 Manel Kape (21-7) and No. 12 middleweight contender Paulo Costa (14-4) battling No. 14 Roman Kopylov (14-3). In a middleweight matchup, Jack Hermansson (24-8) is set to go toe-to-toe with Gregory Rodrigues (16-6), while heavyweights Jhonata Diniz (9-1) and Justin Tafa (7-5, 1 NC) will also take to the ring. On the women's side, Viviane Araujo (13-6), the No. 8 flyweight contender, will face No. 10 Tracy Cortez (11-2). --Field Level Media
USA Today
15-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Kara-France: Odds and what to know ahead of UFC 317 co-headliner
Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Kara-France: Odds and what to know ahead of UFC 317 co-headliner Flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja will look to continue dominating his division when he takes on a dangerous contender at UFC 317. Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Kara-France preview Pantoja (29-5 MMA, 13-3 UFC) and Kara-France (25-11 MMA, 8-4 UFC) already fought once before, but it came on Season 24 of "The Ultimate Fighter" in a two-round exhibition bout which Pantoja won by unanimous decision. Pantoja will look to notch his fourth title defense after wins over Brandon Royval, Steve Erceg and most recently Kai Asakura at UFC 310. Meanwhile, Kara-France earned his opportunity after a first-round TKO of Erceg at UFC 305 last August. This will be his second crack at UFC gold after losing to Brandon Moreno for the vacant interim title by third-round TKO at UFC 277. Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Kara-France odds According to DraftKings, Pantoja is a moderate -245 favorite to beat former title challenger Kara-France, who's a +200 underdog. How to watch Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Kara-France at UFC 317 Where: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas Broadcast/streaming: ESPN+ pay-per-view When: Saturday, June 28, 2025
NZ Herald
14-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Kai Kara-France books UFC flyweight title bout at UFC 317
Kiwi flyweight Kai Kara-France will fight for the UFC world title against Alexandre Pantoja in Las Vegas in June.
