Kiwi flyweight Kai Kara-France will fight for the UFC world title against Alexandre Pantoja in Las Vegas in June.
A golden horizon looms for Kai Kara-France.
On June 29 (NZT), the Kiwi mixed martial artist will head to Las Vegas for UFC 317 with plans of dethroning reigning flyweight world champion Alexandre Pantoja.
The bout will be the co-main event on the card, headlined by the lightweight title contest between Charles Oliveira and former featherweight champion Ilia Topuria.
For Kara-France, it’s an opportunity that has felt a long time coming.
“I knew this was happening. It’s just nothing’s ever guaranteed and, in the sport, everything moves so fast that you just never know,” Kara-France told the Herald.
“So to hear it from the UFC, from Dana [White], that it’s happening, [I’m] just ready to work for the next seven weeks and bring my best to bring another belt back to CKB [City Kickboxing]; back to Aotearoa New Zealand.”
The Kiwi, currently ranked at No 4 in the division, comes into the bout off the back of a first-round TKO over former title challenger Steve Erceg in Perth last August.
That win saw him emerge as the logical choice as Pantoja’s next challenger, and the 32-year-old has spent the majority of 2025 preparing as such.
“I’ve had to pull back heaps of times just because you don’t want to peak too soon. It’s like a preseason for rugby, that’s what a fight camp is. It’s a preseason, so you can only do it for so long before you’re not actually getting fitter, you’re just burning out,” he said.
“At the start of this year, I was guns blazing, didn’t go to Vegas for the Warriors game, didn’t go to Sydney for the [Sean] Strickland-DDP [Dricus du Plessis] fight, didn’t go to Saudi Arabia for Izzy’s [Adesanya] fight - there are a lot of things that I didn’t want to distract myself because, obviously I thought I was going to be fighting earlier, but I just wanted to focus on the training and to prioritise that.
“I’m glad I did that because now, seven weeks out, if you weren’t prepared, it’s not that much time. But if you’ve already been training hard and really putting in the work, there’s not much that we need to be doing now.
“It’s just sticking to the process, keep turning up, and that’s how we’re going to bring home this belt; just keep doing what we’re doing and the more time the better.”
Kai Kara-France beat Steve Erceg by first round TKO last August in his most recent outing. Photo / Photosport
It will be the second time he has fought Pantoja, and doubles as a chance at revenge for Kara-France.
Kara-France and Pantoja first squared off during season 24 of The Ultimate Fighter – a reality TV show where prospects compete for a UFC contract – in 2016. Pantoja eliminated Kara-France in the quarter-finals, claiming a unanimous decision win in the two-round exhibition bout.
Now, nine years on, Kara-France said there was nothing he could take from that bout, given the circumstances.
“I had to cut weight every week for that fight. I’m not taking away anything from Pantoja, but I felt drained already before that fight even started, so I didn’t showcase my skill. I was performing at probably 50%, just making flyweight every week.”
It’s the second time Kara-France will have fought for UFC gold, after a bout for the interim flyweight title against Brandon Moreno in 2022 saw him fall to a third-round TKO following a pinpoint kick to the liver.
Kiwi heavyweight Justin Tafa has also been announced to compete on the card at UFC 317, taking on Brazilian Jhonata Diniz. Both athletes are coming into the bout off the back of TKO losses.
The card will take place as the main event in the UFC’s International Fight Week – an annual week-long celebration which includes the promotion’s Hall of Fame festivities and several other activations for fans and athletes to enjoy.
There will be Kiwi action outside of the cage during the week too, with former two-time middleweight champion Israel Adesanya to be inducted into the fight wing of the UFC Hall of Fame for his interim middleweight title bout against Kelvin Gastelum in 2019.
Israel Adesanya's 2019 interim title fight will be added the the fight wing of the UFC Hall of Fame. Photo / Photosport
The bout was a five-round slugfest, with Adesanya claiming a unanimous decision win, and beginning a run of 12 UFC title fights in a row for The Last Stylebender.
“What he’s done in the sport is once in a lifetime. Someone that’s been able to make waves as fast and cement a legacy that he has, he’s got nothing to prove and he’s something that I’ve always looked up to as the pinnacle,” Kara-France said of Adesanya.
“The one thing that I’ve always taken away from Izzy is his self-belief. He knew he was going to be a world champion before anyone else, and [I] definitely take that on board.”
Confirmed UFC 317 bouts
Main event: Charles Oliveira (2) v Ilia Topuria for the vacant lightweight title
