Staff Kai Kara-France

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Kai Kara-France

James Kaiwhare Kara-France (born March 26, 1993) is a New Zealand professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Flyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of 6 June 2023, he is #5 in the UFC flyweight rankings.

Kara-France started practicing Brazilian jiu-jitsu at the age of 10 but stopped after two years. After being bullied for his small stature in high school, Mount Albert Grammar School, he started training mixed martial arts as a whole. Kara-France attended Unitec Institute of Technology for a spell, but dropped out. He is partly of Maori ancestry, with connections to Waikato, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Kahungunu and Tuhoe.

In November 2010, Kara-France began his professional MMA career in his home city of Auckland, with a first-round TKO win over Ray Kaitiana.

Kara-France decided to drop out of the university after seeing a Facebook post promoting Tiger Muay Thai gym scholarship. He applied to the gym and was awarded the scholarship after try-outs. He moved to Phuket, Thailand, in 2013 where he trained and built his mixed martial arts record by fighting around Asia and The Pacific.

In 2016, Kara-France competed in The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions - the 24th edition of the UFC-produced reality television series The Ultimate Fighter. He won his first fight with a 30-second KO win over Terrence Mitchell. His second and final fight in this tournament was in the quarterfinals, where he lost by decision to Alexandre Pantoja.

Kara-France was signed by the UFC in July 2018 and he made his UFC debut on 1 December 2018, at UFC Fight Night: dos Santos vs. Tuivasa against Ashkan Mokhtarian. However, on 21 November 2018, Mokhtarian was pulled from the fight, citing an injury, and he was replaced by Elias Garcia. After both fighters getting knocked down, Kara-France won the fight via unanimous decision. Both fighters were awarded US$50,000 Fight of the Night bonuses.

Two months later, Kara-France faced Raulian Paiva on 10 February 2019, at UFC 234. He won the fight via split decision.

Kara-France faced Mark De La Rosa on 31 August 2019, at UFC Fight Night: Andrade vs. Zhang. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Kara-France was briefly linked to a bout against Sergio Pettis on 14 December 2019, at UFC 245. However, in early October, Pettis revealed that he was entertaining offers from other promotions after the completion of his previous contract and did not currently have a fight lined up with the promotion. Kara-France instead faced Brandon Moreno. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.

Kara-France faced Tyson Nam on 23 February 2020, at UFC Fight Night 168. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Kara-France was expected to face Alex Perez on 16 May 2020. However, on 9 April, Dana White, the president of UFC, announced that the event had been postponed to a future date due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Kara-France faced Brandon Royval on 27 September 2020 at UFC 253. After both fighters were knocked down in the first round, Kara-France lost the fight via submission in the second round. This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award.

As the first bout of his new four-fight contract, Kara-France faced Rogério Bontorin on 6 March 2021, at UFC 259. He won the fight via knockout in round one. This fight earned him the Performance of the Night award.

Kara-France next faced former UFC Bantamweight Champion Cody Garbrandt on 11 December 2021, at UFC 269. He won the fight via TKO in the first round. The win also earned Kara-France his second consecutive Performance of the Night bonus award.

Kara-France faced Askar Askarov on 26 March 2022, at UFC on ESPN 33. He spoiled Askarov's undefeated record, handing him his first loss via unanimous decision.

Kara-France faced former flyweight champion Brandon Moreno in a rematch on 30 July 2022, with the interim UFC Flyweight Championship on the line, at UFC 277. He lost the fight via TKO in the third round. The bout earned him his fourth Fight of the Night award.

Kara-France was scheduled to face Alex Perez on 12 February 2023, at UFC 284. However, Kara-France was pull from of the fight, citing a knee injury.

Kara-France faced Amir Albazi on 3 June 2023, at UFC on ESPN 46. He lost the fight via a highly controversial split decision. 19 out of 21 media outlets scored the bout in favor of Kara-France.

Kara-France was scheduled to face Manel Kape on 10 September 2023, at UFC 293. However Kara-France pulled out of the fight in late August after suffering a concussion during training, and was replaced by Felipe dos Santos.

Kai Kara-France - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

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Rugby league: New Zealand Warriors bring in UFC star Kai Kara-France as wrestling coach​

Christopher Reive
17 Jan, 2023 05:00 PM

UFC fighter Kai Kara-France has joined the Warriors as a wrestling coach ahead of the NRL season. Photo / Dean Purcell.

New Warriors coach Andrew Webster hasn’t wasted any time in finding new ways to improve his squad – and he’s called in some specialist help to do so.

Ahead of the new NRL season, the Warriors have brought in Kiwi UFC star Kai Kara-France to take the team through their paces on the wrestling mats as Webster looks to unlock an added level of physicality in 2023.

“Every NRL team is looking for an advantage in the ruck. We tackle so much in a game and there’s that last little bit of effort on the floor where you’ve got to beat the opponent to marker,” Webster explained in the club’s video announcement of Kara-France’s role.

“Everyone’s looking for that advantage, so when I came here to New Zealand I was like ‘who’s going to be that guy for us? Who can be an outside voice that can teach them some body awareness stuff?’”

It’s a system that won’t be unfamiliar to Webster, but one that clearly works. The Warriors signed Webster as their new head coach from the Penrith Panthers, who have had Australian UFC stars Robert Whittaker and Jacob Malkoun onboard as their wrestling coaches.

They aren’t the only team in the NRL who have looked to mixed martial artists for help in that area. Whittaker has worked with the Brisbane Broncos in the past, and in 2022 the St George Illawarra Dragons trained their wrestling at Freestyle MMA in Wollongong with UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and his coach Joe Lopez.

Kara-France, and other members of Auckland’s City Kickboxing gym including Tongan Commonwealth Games wrestler John Vake, has been working with the squad since late last year and Webster said there had been clear improvements in that area.

“It’s really important for us that we gain some fitness in that area,” Webster said of the training. “It’s actually quite fatiguing when you have that movement; you’re trying to keep someone down and they’re trying to get up.”

“(Now) they’re in positions where they naturally just know how to move. They’re not having to think about it, it’s naturally just happening. How do I move? How do I get in this direction? How do I be as heavy as I can on my opponent? And if I’ve got the ball in my hand, how do I escape? It’s not just defence, it’s attack as well, and the boys are learning fast.”

While mixed martial arts and rugby league are vastly different codes, Kara-France said there were plenty of skills that transferred in the grappling aspect of MMA to the footy field.

“I broke down the science of what I do and how we transfer it onto the field,” the UFC’s No 3-ranked flyweight said. “It’s all about the mindset, resilience and mental-toughness; when things aren’t working out, we’re still in the fight and we find a way.

“That’s what martial arts has taught me – how to problem solve, how to back yourself, and confidence. That’s what I’m showing the boys. Through the technique and through the training, that’s how we can build together and ultimately win a premiership.”

Warriors bring in UFC star in bid to gain NRL advantage

Looking for a lift in physicality, Warriors coach Andrew Webster looked outside the box

www.nzherald.co.nz

 

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