Kai Kara-France

Kai Kara-France
Kai Kara-France
Born	James Kaiwhare Kara-France; March 26, 1993 (age 33); Auckland, New Zealand
Occupation	Professional mixed martial artist
Years active	2010–present
Known for	Competing in the UFC flyweight division

James Kaiwhare "Kai" Kara-France (born 26 March 1993) is a professional mixed martial artist from New Zealand who competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) within the flyweight category. As of 5 August 2025, he holds the #6 position in the UFC flyweight rankings.

Background

Starting Brazilian jiu-jitsu training at the age of 10, Kara-France discontinued after two years. Experiencing bullying during his time at Mount Albert Grammar School, he redirected his efforts towards mixed martial arts. He briefly enrolled at Unitec Institute of Technology but did not complete his studies. Kara-France is of Māori heritage, with ancestral ties to Waikato, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Kahungunu, and Tūhoe iwi.

Early career

Kara-France began his professional MMA journey in November 2010 in Auckland, securing a victory via first-round TKO. After noticing a scholarship opportunity posted on Facebook for the Tiger Muay Thai gym, he applied successfully and relocated to Phuket, Thailand, in 2013 to train and compete throughout Asia and the Pacific region.

The Ultimate Fighter

In 2016, Kara-France participated in The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions (season 24). He achieved a swift knockout within 30 seconds in his opening bout but was eliminated in the quarterfinals by decision against Alexandre Pantoja.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

After signing with the UFC in July 2018, Kara-France made his promotional debut on 1 December 2018 at UFC Fight Night: dos Santos vs. Tuivasa, where he defeated Elias Garcia by unanimous decision following a last-minute opponent change. Both fighters received US$50,000 bonuses for Fight of the Night.

He earned a split decision victory over Raulian Paiva at UFC 234 in February 2019, followed by a unanimous decision win against Mark De La Rosa at UFC Fight Night: Andrade vs. Zhang in August 2019. A scheduled match with Sergio Pettis at UFC 245 was canceled due to Pettis exploring free agency; instead, Kara-France faced and lost to Brandon Moreno via unanimous decision.

In February 2020, Kara-France secured a unanimous decision win over Tyson Nam at UFC Fight Night 168. A planned bout with Alex Perez in May 2020 was postponed amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

At UFC 253 in September 2020, Kara-France suffered a second-round submission loss to Brandon Royval but earned another Fight of the Night bonus. Starting a new four-fight deal, he knocked out Rogério Bontorin in the first round at UFC 259 in March 2021, receiving Performance of the Night honors.

He followed this by defeating former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt via first-round TKO at UFC 269 in December 2021, securing consecutive Performance of the Night awards. In March 2022, Kara-France handed undefeated contender Askar Askarov his first career defeat through a unanimous decision at UFC on ESPN 33.

Kara-France challenged for the interim UFC Flyweight Championship against ex-champion Brandon Moreno in July 2022 at UFC 277, losing by third-round TKO but earning his fourth Fight of the Night accolade.

He was slated to face Alex Perez at UFC 284 in February 2023 but withdrew due to a knee injury. Returning to competition in June 2023 at UFC on ESPN 46, he lost a highly disputed split decision against Amir Albazi, with many media outlets scoring the fight in his favor.

Scheduled to fight Manel Kape at UFC 293 in September 2023, Kara-France pulled out after sustaining a concussion during training; Felipe dos Santos stepped in as his replacement.

In August 2024, Kara-France secured a first-round technical knockout victory over Steve Erceg at UFC 305, earning an additional Performance of the Night bonus.

He was booked for a UFC Flyweight Championship contest against Alexandre Pantoja initially planned for April 2025 at UFC 314. After several reschedulings, the fight took place on 28 June 2025 at UFC 317, where Kara-France was defeated by submission via rear-naked choke in the third round.

Personal life

Kara-France and his spouse Chardae are parents to a son.

Mixed martial arts

Ultimate Fighting Championships
- Awarded Fight of the Night on three occasions
- Earned Performance of the Night honors three times
  - Shares the third-highest number of Post-Fight bonuses in UFC Flyweight division history (6), alongside Alexandre Pantoja and Brandon Royval
- Holds the second-highest total for knockdowns delivered in UFC Flyweight division history (8)
- Registers the third-best takedown defense rate within UFC Flyweight division history at 88.0%
- UFC.com Awards
  - 2022: Placed fourth in the Upset of the Year rankings

Mixed martial arts record

|- |Loss |align=center|25–12 (1) |Alexandre Pantoja |Submission (rear-naked choke) |UFC 317 | |align=center|3 |align=center|1:54 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- |Win |align=center|25–11 (1) |Steve Erceg |TKO (punches) |UFC 305 | |align=center|1 |align=center|4:04 |Perth, Australia | |- |Loss |align=center|24–11 (1) |Amir Albazi |Decision (split) |UFC on ESPN: Kara-France vs. Albazi | |align=center|5 |align=center|5:00 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- ... [Record continues detailing significant fights, including victories, defeats, event locations, and names, emphasizing bouts relevant to his professional career and titles] ...

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

External links