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Sport Nation
Important SN update for Southland'I'm chasing the mana': Kara-France eyes destiny in UFC flyweight world championship tilt
Stephen Foote • June 27th, 2025 9:50 am
Photo: UFC
When Kai Kara-France takes centre stage against UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja this weekend, it will be as a reunion of the most violent variety.
Back in 2016, the pair lived in a house together with 14 other fellow aspiring athletes as part of the iconic The Ultimate Fighter reality show, where combatants enter camp en masse to compete in a tournament for a chance to win a multi-fight deal with the promotion.
After emphatically stamping his arrival with a first-round knockout in his opening bout, Kara-France advanced to face Pantoja, with the Brazilian's grappling earning him a unanimous decision win - albeit one that doesn't officially count towards their pro record - in the dual-round format.
Pantoja was himself eliminated in the proceeding semi-final round. But the UFC saw the potential, and both he and Kara-France were awarded contracts the following year.
Fast forward almost a decade, and the two men who both took the first steps on their path to the top will meet again under the brightest of spotlights, as 'Don't Blink' finally gets his chance for both redemption and - more importantly - a fully fledged UFC world title.
Eugene Bareman on Kai Kara-France's keys to victory against flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja | Fight Club
As you may expect from two men who share such a history together, there's no bad blood heading into Sunday's (NZ time) bout - just a healthy respect from two fighters who have evolved to an extent they're almost unrecognisable from their respective versions days on TUF - both inside and outside The Octagon.
"When I first fought him nine years ago, I wasn't training at a City Kickboxing. I was training in Thailand," Kara-France told Sport Nation's Fight Club podcast.
"I wasn't with (CKB head coach) Eugene (Bareman) and my skill set was a lot different and really limited.
"I was just a boy back then. Now I'm a man that has a family to provide for. I know what I'm fighting for and I have a higher purpose.
Kai Kara-France knocks out Steve Erceg in Perth last year | Photo: Photosport
"He's someone I respect, being a great champion and a family man. He's been one of the best in our division for a long time.
"But I feel like it's all about timing. He's getting a bit older. He's been through a lot of wars, and his chin hasn't been tested in the UFC."
The Aucklander has a steep mountain to climb if he's to dethrone his old housemate this weekend. Currently riding a seven-fight win streak, Pantoja has been using his brand of suffocating pressure, high-octane grappling and deep arsenal of submissions to tear his way through the 125lb division.
He's the third longest tenured champion across any weight class in the UFC, and has essentially cleared out the entire Top 10, with Kara-France's name the one glaring omission from his CV.
He's also never been finished in his 34-fight career, which dates back to 2007.
Eugene Bareman on Kai Kara-France's keys to victory against flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja | Fight Club
In a fight that's been several months in waiting, Kara-France has used his time wisely - hunkering down in the CKB lab in Morningside alongside Bareman and his fellow coaches, devising a blueprint for Pantoja's downfall.
"You have to bring the fight to him," he explains. "You can't take a backwards step. He's dangerous and you can't expect him just to fold after one shot that land, you've got to land at least 10 or 20 shots that land clean and then you might be able to put a chink in his armour.
"You've got to get him tired and then get him sloppy, get him throwing and then that's when you can take your chances.
"I've learned from my first title fight, it's a game of just retaining focus for that 25 minutes. Any lapse or a glimpse of a moment that you miss, they can get capitalised on."
As it's always been, Kara-France's trump card will be in his striking - specifically the exceptional power he possesses, the kind of one-touch force rarely seen in the lighter weight classes. Just ask Aussie Steve Erceg, who was the latest to feel its wrath in Perth last year.
Alexandre Pantoja | Photo: UFC
"I've got 12 knockouts on my record, so that's something that separates us. I've got that in my back pocket.
"I know how to sit on my punches and I just need an opportunity once that opens, I'll take it. I want to be the first one to finish Pantoja and win the belt."
And when the cage door locks this weekend and Kara-France looks across the mat, he knows he won't be alone - empowered by the pride of his Māoritanga, which he wants to use his platform to showcase to the world.
"I really want to embody that when I walk out and you know let it be known when I'm over here in Vegas that that's my superpower. That's who I am. That's me before I'm a fighter. But that's me before I'm in the UFC, and just be unapologetically Māori.
"It's already been written, this journey that I'm on. I'm a big believer in the universe, delivering everything that you can imagine and visualise.
"I visualise myself getting that belt, first one knocking out Pantoja and Dana White shaking my hand, and that's what I'm chasing.
"I know it's all about timing, and it's Kai time."
