1. James Kaiwhare "Kai" Kara-France was born on 26 March 1993 and is a New Zealand professional mixed martial artist.
32 Facts About Kai Kara-France
1. 2.
Kai Kara-France currently competes in the flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
3.
Kai Kara-France attended Unitec Institute of Technology for a spell, but dropped out.
4.
Kai Kara-France is of Maori ancestry, with connections to Waikato, Ngati Tuwharetoa, Ngati Kahungunu and Tuhoe.
5.
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.
6.
Kai Kara-France decided to drop out of the university after seeing a Facebook post promoting Tiger Muay Thai gym scholarship.
7.
Kai Kara-France applied to the gym and was awarded the scholarship after try-outs.
8.
Kai Kara-France moved to Phuket, Thailand, in 2013 where he trained and built his mixed martial arts record by fighting around Asia and The Pacific.
9.
In 2016, Kai Kara-France competed in The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions - the 24th edition of the UFC-produced reality television series The Ultimate Fighter.
10.
Kai Kara-France won his first fight with a 30-second KO win over Terrence Mitchell.
11.
Kai 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.
12.
Two months later, Kai Kara-France faced Raulian Paiva on 10 February 2019, at UFC 234.
13.
Kai Kara-France faced Mark De La Rosa on 31 August 2019, at UFC Fight Night: Andrade vs Zhang.
14.
Kai Kara-France was briefly linked to a bout against Sergio Pettis on 14 December 2019, at UFC 245.
15.
Kai Kara-France faced Tyson Nam on 23 February 2020, at UFC Fight Night 168.
16.
Kai Kara-France was expected to face Alex Perez on 16 May 2020.
17.
Kai Kara-France faced Brandon Royval on 27 September 2020 at UFC 253.
18.
Kai Kara-France won the fight via knockout in round one.
19.
Kai Kara-France next faced former UFC Bantamweight Champion Cody Garbrandt on 11 December 2021, at UFC 269.
20.
Kai Kara-France won the fight via TKO in the first round.
21.
Kai Kara-France faced Askar Askarov on 26 March 2022, at UFC on ESPN 33.
22.
Kai Kara-France spoiled Askarov's undefeated record, handing him his first loss via unanimous decision.
23.
Kai 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.
24.
Kai Kara-France lost the fight via TKO in the third round.
25.
Kai Kara-France was scheduled to face Alex Perez on 12 February 2023, at UFC 284.
26.
However, Kai Kara-France was pull from of the fight, citing a knee injury.
27.
Kai Kara-France faced Amir Albazi on 3 June 2023, at UFC on ESPN 46.
28.
Kai Kara-France lost the fight via a highly controversial split decision.
29.
Kai Kara-France was scheduled to face Manel Kape on 10 September 2023, at UFC 293.
30.
Kai Kara-France faced Steve Erceg on 18 August 2024, at UFC 305.
31.
Kai Kara-France won the fight by technical knockout in the first round.
32.
Kai Kara-France was reportedly scheduled to face Alexandre Pantoja for the UFC Flyweight Championship on 12 April 2025, at UFC 314.