No Quit in Kai Kara-France: After Losses and Lessons, Kara-France Says His Title Time Is Now at UFC 317

UFC flyweight contender Kai Kara-France is ready to prove that his time is now when he challenges Alexandre Pantoja for the UFC flyweight championship at UFC 317.

On Saturday night, Kai Kara-France will get his shot at gold when he squares off with Alexandre Pantoja in an absolutely fascinating co-main event in Las Vegas. He’s always been on the edge of the title conversation looking in but now, KKF will hope to prove that City Kickboxing is still more than capable of producing champions.

Of course, getting through Pantoja is going to be easier said than done, but Kai Kara-France has the ability to pull a rabbit out of his hat when people least expect it – and that’s exactly what he’ll be hoping to do this weekend.

Ahead of fight night, Kai Kara-France spoke candidly about his journey to this point and what he expects to happen.

Kai Kara-France is ready for UFC 317

“I go back home after a big fight and I see my family, and I’ve got to keep going—I’ve got people that are depending on me: my wife, my two beautiful boys. So, that was a no-brainer. I knew that I’ve got the skills. It wasn’t that I was lacking in anything—it’s just the fight game, a game of inches. I’ve been here before, picked myself up from many losses, and that’s my story. I’ve had to fight for this career for 15 years to be where I want to be, and that’s at the top. 

“When I posted that [after the Moreno loss], I knew this wouldn’t be the end. I knew I’m destined to be a UFC world champion. What allows that is seeing my teammates, Izzy and Volk—they’ve touched gold before, been at the pinnacle in their divisions as world champions. They have the same training, the same coaches, the same structure that I have, so why can’t I be a world champion? I deserve this just as much as they do.”