Latest news with #KaraFrance
RNZ News
5 days ago
- Sport
- RNZ News
Kai Kara-France on old nemesis Manel Kape: 'He's an entitled, insecure clown'
UFC flyweights Manel Kape and Kai Kara-France have been vocal about their distain for one another. Photo: Photosport It has all the elements for an explosion. Two bitter rivals, one stage, high stakes, and the world watching. Kiwi flyweight Kai Kara-France is set for the biggest fight of his career when he gets his second shot at undisputed gold on 29 June against champion Alexandre Pantoja. Undoubtedly by design, Kara-France will share the UFC 317 card with an old nemesis, Manel Kape. The animosity between the pair is palpable, and was on full display at the UFC media conference in 2023 in Sydney. Originally scheduled to fight each other, Kara -France was forced to pull out due to injury, a move which prompted Kape to call Kara-France a "p***y". As well as insults, Kape also threw a bottle at Kara-France, prompting intervention form City Kick Boxing teammate Israel Adesanya. Should they cross paths in Vegas, Kara-France does not intend to be civil. "If he does try anything on the stage at the weigh-ins or media day, if he tries to throw a bottle at me, it's not going to be the same reaction. This is definitely personal. I don't like the guy. I think he's a clown. I think he's very insecure and very entitled, and in the fight game, the circle's too small. Eventually we're going to run into each other." The 34-year old said karma will catch Kape. "All that talk you've been doing, eventually you're going to be humbled and he needs a bit of humble pie. I would love to do it, but I want to make sure I get paid to do it. So, that fight's always going to be in front of me, but right now all my eyes are set on Pantoja and being the first one to knock him out." Should Kara-France prevail against Pantoja, he said Kape would be an ideal first defence, and he said he would love to see it run in his own backyard. "He's got a tough fight in front of him, but if he does win, I can see the UFC setting that up. So, I would love to, obviously not looking past Pantoja, but I would love to defend my first title defence at home at Spark Arena, or Eden Park and stack the card with the best New Zealand and Australia talent," Kara-France said. "That's always been a dream of mine to win a world title and to defend back at home, defend the whenua."
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.
