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USA Today
27-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Kai Kara-France calm ahead of UFC 317 title fight: 'I know what the expectations are'
Kai Kara-France calm ahead of UFC 317 title fight: 'I know what the expectations are' Veteran Kai Kara-France finds himself in a different mindset ahead of his second UFC title bout. Kai Kara-France enters his UFC flyweight championship opportunity at a great time in his life. The veteran fighter says he's at a much better place right now as he enters the biggest fight in his MMA career. Kara-France (25-11 MMA, 8-4 UFC) takes on champion Alexandre Pantoja (29-5 MMA, 13-3 UFC) in the co-main event of UFC 317 on June 28 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Kara-France fought for a UFC interim title in 2022, but was stopped by Brandon Moreno with a third-round TKO. Kara-France plans on using that experience paired with his new mentality to bring home the belt. "This year will be my 15th year fighting professionally, so I've been doing it for a long time. But now I'm just doing it with more purpose and more fire," Kara-France told Combat TV. "I know that this is my time to do it – with age and maturity and experience. I already fought for the belt before. I know what the pressure feels like. I know what the expectations are. So (I'm) just welcoming it, and this time around ready for it, and this time around not fighting with things that aren't going your way – just letting it all flow. That's where I'm at right now. I'm at a great place and ready to bring back another belt to (City Kickboxing)." Pantoja vs. Kara-France was rumored for quite some time, and it had several potential dates prior to landing on UFC International Fight Week next month. Finally getting a date for his title opportunity was a huge relief for the Kiwi fighter. "I thought I was fighting in April against Pantoja in Miami, on the same card that (teammate) Alex (Volkanovski) was fighting on, but things just didn't work out," Kara-France said. "The UFC said, 'No, we want to push it back.' It is hard because you want to peak at the right time, and I'm all in when I get a date and time I'll be fighting, and I'll do everything I can to prepare. I train seven days a week, three times a day, so it's a bit harder when you're in limbo and don't know when that date is because you want to stay active and stay in the gym, but you don't want to take risk of injury, and your immune system is going to be compromised just because you're training so much." Pantoja, 34, looks to record his fourth flyweight title defense. After claiming the belt by winning a split decision over Moreno at UFC 290, Pantoja has defended against Brandon Royval, Steve Erceg and Kai Asakura. For Kara-France, 31, he looks to build on his first-round finish of Erceg at UFC 305 in August. Prior to that, he was on a two-fight losing skid that included the title loss to Moreno and a close split decision loss to Amir Albazi.
USA Today
13-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Kara-France flyweight title fight booked for UFC 317
Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Kara-France flyweight title fight booked for UFC 317 The next UFC flyweight championship fight is set. On June 28 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Alexandre Pantoja will look to defend his title against challenger Kai Kara-France at UFC 317. UFC CEO Dana White announced the news Tuesday on Instagram as part of a series of fight announcements. This will be the second time Pantoja (29-5 MMA, 13-3 UFC) and Kara-France (25-11 MMA, 8-4 UFC) share the cage, although everything about this fight is completely different. The pair fought on Season 24 of "The Ultimate Fighter" in a two-round exhibition that Pantoja won by unanimous decision. This time, it's a five-round bout for UFC gold on a major pay-per-view. Pantoja, 34, will look to record his fourth flyweight title defense. After claiming the belt by winning a split decision over Brandon Moreno at UFC 290, Pantoja has defended against Brandon Royval, Steve Erceg and Kai Asakura. For Kara-France, 31, this will be his second opportunity to fight for UFC gold. At UFC 277, he challenged Moreno for the vacant interim title but was finished in the third round. Kara-France then came up short in a thin split decision against Amir Albazi, but he rebounded with a statement first-round finish of Erceg at UFC 305. The latest UFC 317 lineup includes:
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Reinier de Ridder is surprised Bo Nickal accepted Saturday's UFC bout: 'This might be a very rough one for him'
Reinier de Ridder is 2-0 since coming to the UFC, but he didn't expect matchmakers to give him a top prospect like Bo Nickal just yet. (Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images) Here's one thing you can say about Reinier de Ridder: the man is honest. That's true whether he's assessing other fighters' skills or his own. For instance, he raised a few eyebrows when he suggested he and fellow middleweight Bo Nickal, whom de Ridder faces at Saturday's UFC Fight Night event, should go out there and get right to the ground game since no one wants to watch two grapplers try to strike. Advertisement 'Let's be real,' de Ridder told Uncrowned this week. 'We're both so elite at this, both so good at the grappling arts. Of course, I've been putting work into my striking for the last 10 years, and, of course, I like to show this off. But I'll never be Israel Adesanya. Let's be honest, I'm never going to be as refined as he is. So yeah, I want to show off the grappling. I want to show off what makes us special this Saturday.' The Dutch middleweight is similarly forthright about what he was thinking when the UFC offered him this fight against Nickal, a highly decorated college wrestling champion who's undefeated in his seven-fight MMA career. So far in the UFC, Nickal's opponents have seemed like a series of hand-selected victims. Only his most recent opponent, Paul Craig, had any name recognition among fans, and he entered the fight with Nickal having lost four of his previous five outings. Prior to that, Nickal earned the distinction of being the biggest betting favorite in UFC history when he was, for a time, a 25-1 favorite over Val Woodburn at UFC 290, according to at least one sportsbook. Advertisement In other words, the UFC seemed to be offering him favorable matchups Nickal could easily win. Which is why de Ridder was surprised when the UFC called him for a co-main event bout with Nickal in Des Moines, Iowa. De Ridder is, after all, a former two-division titleholder in ONE Championship. He also has three times as many professional MMA fights as Nickal. 'I didn't expect it, to be honest,' de Ridder said. 'I didn't expect this one, and I was surprised that it all came to fruition. Not trying to act too cocky, but I was surprised that both sides agreed, just because of that. He's really had fights that are tailor-made for him so far, basically. And this might be a very rough one for him.' Nickal is currently a -325 favorite, according to BetMGM, but that still makes this the closest fight — at least according to the odds — that he's been in since beginning his pro MMA career in 2022. Advertisement Meanwhile, de Ridder's own time in the UFC has been brief but memorable. Hardcore fans followed his career through overseas promotions, but he was a new face to many in the UFC viewing audience when he debuted in November. And while he eventually submitted Gerald Meerschaert with an arm-triangle choke in the third round, de Ridder did look shaky at times in the fight. Looking back, de Ridder attributes that to a couple different factors, one of which is the well-documented phenomenon known as UFC jitters. No matter how many times you've fought elsewhere, there's just something different about doing it in the Octagon for the first time. 'Every fighter who starts out in this sport wants to be in the UFC,' de Ridder said. 'After everything I went through in ONE Championship, it was a very big deal for me to finally make it to the UFC. … So it was a little bit nerves, but also it had been hard to set up training. And I knew [Meerschaert] pretty good before, we'd trained together at [Florida-based gym] Kill Cliff. 'It was just a lot. And I'm not saying it was a bad fight. I knocked him down in the first, choked him in the third, but it wasn't my best.' Advertisement That performance might have led some fans to write off de Ridder as one more fighter who looked great outside the UFC but was likely to be overmatched in it. He managed to put some of those doubts to rest in his second outing, a dominant first-round submission of Kevin Holland at UFC 311 in January. 'Coming into that fight, I wanted to make a point,' de Ridder said. 'I wanted to show that I can get this done quick. And I was able to do that.' But against Nickal he faces a much tougher test and a very different stylistic match-up. As good as de Ridder's submission game might be, the strength of wrestlers like Nickal is their ability to decide when and how the fight hits the mat. At least, that's how it's usually works in MMA. But while de Ridder would prefer to get right into the grappling and not waste fans' time with a striking display between two non-strikers, he's also not ready to concede any aspect of the fight to Nickal — no matter what the man accomplished wearing a nylon singlet. 'I'm going to take him down,' de Ridder said. 'Why not? I've been taking people down for so long. I understand that people call me a jiu-jitsu guy, but it's always been about the takedowns as well. … Bo, I think he's building a good base, a good game, but it's just not there yet. I'm going to show that.'
USA Today
18-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Yair Rodriguez acknowledges UFC champ Alexander Volkanovski as 145-pound GOAT
Yair Rodriguez acknowledges UFC champ Alexander Volkanovski as 145-pound GOAT UFC featheweight contender Yair Rodriguez hopes to land a rematch against who he believes is his division's greatest of all time. Show Caption Hide Caption Yair Rodriguez Confident Alexander Volkanovski Rematch Next Yair Rodriguez speaks to MMA Junkie's Danny Segura following his win over Patricio "Pitbull" at UFC 314 in Miami. MIAMI – Former UFC featherweight interim champion Yair Rodriguez acknowledges Alexander Volkanovski as the 145-pound GOAT, and can't wait to prove himself against the newly crowned champion. Rodriguez (20-5 MMA, 11-4 UFC) took his first shot against Volkanovski (27-4 MMA, 14-3 UFC) at UFC 290 in a title unification bout. Although "El Pantera" came up short in that fight, he remains confident that his game has elevated to new heights since their first meeting in 2023. Both men competed at UFC 314. On the main card, Rodriguez defeated a debuting Patricio Freire by unanimous decision, while Volkanovski won by the same method in the main event against Diego Lopes to reclaim the vacant featherweight title. Ahead of the fight, many wrote off Volkanovski, but he proved there's still plenty of tread left on the tires. When asked if he thought Volkanovski's game has diminished, Rodriguez isn't quite sure. Instead, he offered plenty of praise as he angles for another title shot. "I don't know if that's the case or not, but I also believe Volkanovski is one of the greatest of all time, and he has shown that," Rodriguez told MMA Junkie. "He has shown that for many years now, and I am happy to face this new Volkanovski, because he's also been doing some changes on his diet, you know? And I think he's motivated. He's having a fourth kid or something like that, which congratulations for that, and I can't wait to face him – this new version of himself." After their first meeting, Rodriguez went on to rematch Brian Ortega in February 2024. It was another rough outing for Rodriguez, as he lost by submission in the third round, but after taking time off to reset, he rebounded nicely and is eager to get another crack at the title. It's a similar road Volkanovski traveled, having returned to the win column after dropping two straight, albeit in title fights. If Rodriguez can leap past undefeated Movsar Evloev, he is confident he will face not only the greatest in the division's history, but also the best version of Volkanovski. "I think he's the GOAT of 145 (pounds)," Rodriguez said. "As of this moment, of course. He's the titleholder and he was the titleholder for however many fights. I'll say this in an interview and I'll still say it: I think when he fought Ilia Topuria, he wasn't coming from his best moment. I think he has gained more confidence after this last fight, and I want to face that guy. I want to face the stronger Volkanovski because I'm also going to be the best version of myself." Rodriguez earned his first shot at a piece of the 145-pound title by winning a first-round TKO over Ortega due to a shoulder injury. He went on to face and defeat Josh Emmett for the interim title, which was created when Volkanovski moved up to lightweight to challenge for a second title against Islam Makhachev. The Mexican featherweight hopes the UFC will recognize the work he has put in over the years and his most recent performance as reasons to name him the next title challenger. For Rodriguez, it's not about showing others he can do it; it's more about validating his career journey. "It would mean a lot," Rodriguez said. "I don't have to prove anything to nobody, you know? It's just like, not even to myself - I just work for it. This is what I work for, this is what I do to be the best. That will show itself when the right time comes. So, it would mean a lot to me, to my family, to my country to be a part of something as huge as that is super important. I can't wait for that to happen."
USA Today
13-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Yair Rodriguez pushes Diego Lopes grudge match aside for UFC title fight: 'Right now is fighting for that belt'
MIAMI – While fight fans might be interested in the grudge match, Yair Rodriguez prefers a rematch. Following his UFC 314 win over Patricio Freire on Saturday at Kaseya Center in Miami, Rodriguez (20-5 MMA, 11-4 UFC) took a look at the featherweight land – and it's a no-brainer what he wants next. 'Yeah, in the eyes of the fans (they want me vs. Diego Lopes), of course,' Rodriguez told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. 'If you ask me, if you're in my position right now, the beef can stay aside for now. The only thing that I'm looking for right now is fighting for that belt.' Rodriguez and Lopes are two wildly popular fighters in Mexico and Latin America, but seem to have bad blood between them. While an in-depth breakdown of the rivalry has not yet been explained, it seems Lopes and Rodriguez's teammate and friend Marco Beltran have past history. While the beef may continue to be a sideshow, Rodriguez wants to lock in a rematch vs. Alexander Volkanovski (27-5 MMA, 14-4 UFC), who reclaimed the featherweight throne with a decision win over Lopes in Saturday's main event. With the UFC headed to Guadalajara, Mexico for a pay-per-view in September, Rodriguez thinks the stars could align for a perfect scenario. 'Brother, Volkanovski has fights all over around the world,' Rodriguez said. 'He hasn't fought in Mexico. Guadalajara isn't super high elevation. I think it makes sense for the UFC to bring a huge event, numbered event in Guadalajara. I think Volkanovski wll be able to run it back with me. I think he will be happy to do that.' Rodriguez and Volkanovski fought in a title unification bout at UFC 290 in July 2023. Volkanovski defeated Rodriguez via third-round TKO. Rodriguez competed once between that fight and Saturday's, which was a loss to Brian Ortega. However, Rodriguez indicated in the cage after the fight UFC CBO Hunter Campbell previously promised him a title fight if he got through Freire (36-8 MMA, 0-1 UFC). For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie's event hub for UFC 314.
