James Kaiwhare Kara-France (born March 26, 1993) is a New Zealand professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

. He currently competes in the

Flyweight Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing above 49 kg (108 lb) and up to 51 kg (112 lb). Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of b ...

division in the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

(UFC). As of August 1, 2022, he is #3 in the UFC flyweight rankings.

Background

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 Unitec Institute of Technology (Māori: Te Whare Wānanga o Wairaka) is the largest institute of technology in Auckland, New Zealand. 16,844 students study programmes from certificate to postgraduate degree level (levels 1 to 9) across a range of ...

for a spell, but dropped out. He is partly of Maori ancestry.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

In November 2010, Kara-France began his professional MMA career in his home city of

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

, New Zealand, with a first-round TKO win over Ray Kaitiana. Kara-France decided to drop out of the university after seeing a

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...

post promoting Tiger Muay Thai gym scholarship. He applied to the gym and was awarded the scholarship after try-outs. He moved to

Phuket Phuket (; th, ภูเก็ต, , ms, Bukit or ''Tongkah''; Hokkien:普吉; ) is one of the southern provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. It consists of the island of Phuket, the country's largest island, and another 32 smaller islands of ...

, Thailand, in 2013 where he trained and built his mixed martial arts record by fighting around Asia and The Pacific.

The Ultimate Fighter

In 2016, Kara-France competed in '' The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions'' - the 24th edition of the

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

-produced reality television series ''

The Ultimate Fighter ''The Ultimate Fighter'' is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Pilgrim Media Group currently airing on ESPN+. It previously aired for fourteen s ...

''. 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 Alexandre Pantoja Passidomo (born, April 16, 1990) is a Brazilian mixed martial arts fighter, currently fighting for the UFC and is the flyweight champion of the Resurrection Fighting Alliance and Shooto Brazil. As of August 20, 2022, he is ...

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Kara-France was signed by the UFC in July 2018 and he made his UFC debut on December 1, 2018 at UFC Fight Night: dos Santos vs. Tuivasa against

Ashkan Mokhtarian Ashkan Mokhtarian ( fa, اشکان مختاریان, born 18 September 1985 Tehran, Iran), is an Iranian-born Australian mixed martial artist formerly competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Mokhtarian's parents fled Ira ...

. However, on November 21, 2018, Moktarian 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 Raulian Paiva Frazão (born 17 October 1995) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Paiva was born and raised Santana, Amapá, Brazil where he still tra ...

on February 10, 2019 at

UFC 234 ''UFC 234: Adesanya vs. Silva'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on February 10, 2019 at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Background A UFC Middleweight Championship b ...

. He won the fight via split decision. Kara-France faced

Mark De La Rosa Mark Anthony De La Rosa (born August 31, 1994) is an American mixed martial artist (MMA) who fights in the flyweight division. He competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background De La Rosa was born in Fort Worth, Texas in the U ...

on August 31, 2019 at UFC Fight Night: Andrade vs. Zhang. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Kara-France was briefly linked to a bout to

Sergio Pettis Sergio Jerome Pettis (born August 18, 1993) is an American mixed martial artist who is currently signed with Bellator MMA, where he is the current Bellator Bantamweight Champion. Prior to signing with Bellator, Pettis competed in the Ultimate Fi ...

on December 14, 2019 at

UFC 245 ''UFC 245: Usman vs. Covington'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 14, 2019 at T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United States. B ...

. 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 Brandon Carrillo Moreno (born December 7, 1993) is a Mexican professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Flyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former UFC Flyweight Champion, and the cu ...

. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. Kara-France faced

Tyson Nam Tyson Ka'eo Nam (born October 6, 1983) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division for UFC. A professional MMA competitor since 2006, Nam has formerly competed for World Series of Fighting, Elite ...

on February 23, 2020 at

UFC Fight Night 168 ''UFC Fight Night: Felder vs. Hooker'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 168'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 26'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 23, 2020, at Spark Arena in Auckland ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Kara-France was expected to face Alex Perez on May 16, 2020. However, on April 9,

Dana White Dana Frederick White Jr. (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman who serves as president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at $500 milli ...

, the president of UFC announced that this event was postponed to a future date due to

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. Kara-France faced

Brandon Royval Brandon Matthew Royval (born August 6, 1992) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Flyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2012, Royval has also forme ...

on September 27, 2020 at

UFC 253 ''UFC 253: Adesanya vs. Costa'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 27, 2020 at the du Forum on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Background The event was origi ...

. 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 Rogério Raab Bontorin (born 25 April 1992) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division of Rizin Fighting Federation. A professional since 2013, he most notably fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC ...

on March 6, 2021 at

UFC 259 ''UFC 259: Błachowicz vs. Adesanya '' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 6, 2021 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United ...

. He won the fight via knockout in round one. This fight earned him the ''

Performance of the Night UFC Bonus Awards are three separate cash bonuses usually awarded to four fighters after each UFC event, based on internal decisions by UFC management. More/fewer bonuses have been awarded at some events, especially when no knockouts or submissions ...

'' award. Kara-France next faced former UFC Bantamweight Champion

Cody Garbrandt Cody Garbrandt (born July 7, 1991) is an American professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the flyweight and bantamweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Garbrandt is a former UFC Bantamweight Champion. ...

on December 11, 2021 at

UFC 269 ''UFC 269: Oliveira vs. Poirier'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 11, 2021, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United State ...

. He won the fight via TKO in the first round. The win also earned Kara-France his second consecutive

bonus award. Kara-France faced

Askar Askarov Askar Askarov (russian: Аскар Сайпулаевич Аскаров; born 9 October 1992) is a Russian mixed martial artist and freestyle wrestler who competes in the Flyweight division. A professional mixed martial artist since 2013, Askaro ...

on March 26, 2022 at

UFC on ESPN 33 ''UFC on ESPN: Blaydes vs. Daukaus'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 33'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 26, 2022 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, United States. Ba ...

. He spoiled Askarov's undefeated record, handing him his first loss via unanimous decision. Kara-France faced former flyweight champion

in a rematch on July 30, 2022, with the interim

UFC Flyweight Championship Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...

on the line, at

UFC 277 ''UFC 277: Peña vs. Nunes 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on July 30, 2022, at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, United States. Background A UFC Women's Bantamweight Cha ...

. 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 February 12, 2023, at

UFC 284 ''UFC 284: Makhachev vs. Volkanovski'' is an upcoming mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that will take place on February 12, 2023, at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. Background The event will mark the promoti ...

. However, Kara-France was pull from of the fight, citing a knee injury.

Personal life

Kai and his wife Chardae have a son, Cobi (born 2021).

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Ultimate Fighting Championships The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

** Fight of the Night (Fourth times) **

(Two times)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 24–10 (1) ,

, TKO (body kick and punches) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:34 ,

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 24–9 (1) ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Blaydes vs. Daukaus , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Columbus, Ohio, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 23–9 (1) ,

, TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:21 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 22–9 (1) ,

, KO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:55 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 21–9 (1) ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:48 , Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates , , - , Win , align=center, 21–8 (1) ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Felder vs. Hooker , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, New Zealand , , - , Loss , align=center, 20–8 (1) ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 20–7 (1) ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Andrade vs. Zhang , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Shenzhen Shenzhen (; ; ; ), also historically known as Sham Chun, is a major sub-provincial city and one of the special economic zones of China. The city is located on the east bank of the Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern province ...

, China , , - , Win , align=center, 19–7 (1) ,

, Decision (split) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 18–7 (1) , Elias Garcia , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: dos Santos vs. Tuivasa , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 17–7 (1) , Xiaoyu Shi , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Glory of Heroes: New Zealand vs. China , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, New Zealand , , - , Win , align=center, 16–7 (1) , Huoyixibai Chuhayifu , Decision (unanimous) , WLF W.A.R.S. 19 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Zhengzhou, China , , - , Win , align=center, 15–7 (1) , Aori Qileng , Decision (unanimous) , WLF W.A.R.S. 14 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Zhengzhou, China , , - , Win , align=center, 14–7 (1) , Ze Wu , TKO (punches) , WLF W.A.R.S. 13 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:01 , Zhengzhou, China , , - , Win , align=center, 13–7 (1) , Rodolfo Marques , KO (punch) , Hex Fight Series 8 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:59 ,

, Australia , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–7 (1) , Tatsumitsu Wada , Decision (unanimous) , Rizin World Grand Prix 2016: 2nd Round , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 12–6 (1) , Crisanto Pitpitunge , TKO (cartwheel kick and punches) , Pacific Xtreme Combat 52 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:00 ,

Mangilao Mangilao is a village on the eastern shore of the United States territory of Guam. The village's population has decreased slightly since the island's 2010 census. Cliffs lie along much of the village's shoreline provide dramatic views, including ...

, Guam , , - , Win , align=center, 11–6 (1) , Josh Duenas , TKO (punches) , Pacific Xtreme Combat 50 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:22 ,

, Guam , , - , Win , align=center, 10–6 (1) , Shantaram Maharaj , TKO (punches) , Bragging Rights 7 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:33 ,

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...

, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 9–6 (1) , Dindo Camansa , KO (punches) , Malaysian Invasion: Mixed Martial A'rr , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:12 , Andaman Sea, Thailand , , - , Win , align=center, 8–6 (1) , Ik Hwan Jang , TKO (punches) , PRO Fighting 10 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:08 ,

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the ...

, Taiwan , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–6 (1) , Jumayi Ayideng , Decision (unanimous) , Kunlun Fight 18 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Nanjing Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...

, China , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–5 (1) , Mark Striegl , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Malaysian Invasion 2: Grand Finals , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:10 ,

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , sub ...

, Malaysia , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–4 (1) ,

Gustavo Falciroli Gustavo Falciroli (born 13 December 1982) is an Australian-Brazilian mixed martial artist. Brazilian-born Gustavo has lived in Australia since 2007 and is an Australian citizen. Gustavo Falciroli is the reigning Cage Fighting Championship and Au ...

, Submission (brabo choke) , AFC 9 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:55 ,

, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 7–3 (1) , Tieyin Wu , Decision (unanimous) , Kunlun Fight 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Pattaya, Thailand , , - , NC , align=center, 6–3 (1) ,

, No Contest , AFC 7 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:20 ,

, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 6–3 , Tieyin Wu , Submission (guillotine choke) , Bandung Fighting Club , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:54 ,

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

, Philippines , , - , Win , align=center, 5–3 , Yudi Cahyadi , Decision (unanimous) , Bandung Fighting Club , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Bandung, Indonesia , , - , Win , align=center, 4–3 , Ho-Joon Kim , KO (head kick) , PRO Fighting 8 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:44 ,

, Taiwan , , - , Loss , align=center, 3–3 ,

Danaa Batgerel Danaa Batgerel (born July 4, 1989) is a Mongolian mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Growing up in a rural region of Mongolia, Danaa began training kickboxing in 2007 ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Legend Fighting Championship 11 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , sub ...

, Malaysia , , - , Win , align=center, 3–2 , Caleb Lally , Decision (unanimous) , Rage in the Cage: MMA Fighting Championship , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Tauranga Tauranga () is a coastal city in the Bay of Plenty region and the fifth most populous city of New Zealand, with an urban population of , or roughly 3% of the national population. It was settled by Māori late in the 13th century, colonised by ...

, New Zealand , , - , Win , align=center, 2–2 , Sam Chan , Submission (guillotine choke) , Legend Fighting Championship 10 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:21 ,

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

SAR SAR or Sar may refer to: Places * Sar (river), Galicia, Spain * Sar, Bahrain, a residential district * Sar, Iran (disambiguation), several places in Iran * Sar, Tibet, Tibet Autonomous Region of China * Šar Mountains, in southeastern Europe ...

, China , , - , Loss , align=center, 1–2 , Agustin Delarmino , KO (punches) , Legend Fighting Championship 8 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:29 ,

, China , , - , Loss , align=center, 1–1 , Chad George , KO (punch) , The Cage 2: USA vs. New Zealand , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:04 , Whakatane, New Zealand , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Ray Kaitiana , TKO (punches) , Supremacy Cage Fighting 7 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, New Zealand , , -

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

, - , Loss , align=center, 1–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , rowspan=2, The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 , rowspan=2,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Terrence Mitchell , KO (punch) , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:30 ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kara-France, Kai 1993 births Living people Sportspeople from Auckland New Zealand male kickboxers New Zealand male mixed martial artists Flyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing kickboxing Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu New Zealand practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Kunlun Fight MMA Fighters Waikato Tainui people Ngāti Kahungunu people New Zealand Māori sportspeople