Kai Kara-France
Active 2018–present · rated in 3 editions · peak overall 83.0
Scouting report
Kai "Don't Blink" Kara-France earned an interim UFC Flyweight Championship title shot behind knockouts of former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt and contender Rogerio Bontorin. Born in Auckland, New Zealand, and representing City Kickboxing, he pairs takedown defense with counter-striking. His 89 Boxing, 88 Cardio, and 85 Kickboxing ratings support an 83 Overall score.
Peak ratings
By edition
Kara-France beat Tyson Nam by decision, Rogerio Bontorin by first-round knockout and former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt by first-round TKO at UFC 269 in Las Vegas, and lost by submission to Brandon Royval. His right-hand power and sprawl are reflected in an 88 Boxing and 75 Strength rating.
In 2022, Kara-France defeated Askar Askarov, then lost an interim title bout to Brandon Moreno via body kick at UFC 277. After a split-decision loss to Amir Albazi in 2023, he returned in August 2024 at UFC 305 with a first-round knockout of Steve Erceg in Perth. His boxing precision is reflected in an 89 Boxing and 75 Strength.
Kai Kara-France, from Auckland to a Phuket scholarship and back to the top of the weight class
Kai Kara-France started Brazilian jiu-jitsu at ten, stopped after two years, and only came back to fighting after being bullied for his small size at Mount Albert Grammar School. He turned professional in Auckland in November 2010 with a first-round TKO. A Tiger Muay Thai scholarship then took him to Phuket in 2013, where he built his record across Asia and the Pacific before The Ultimate Fighter and the big stage. He has been a flyweight contender for most of the years since.
Kara-France, rating by rating
Boxing. His best number by a wide margin. He stopped Rogerio Bontorin in round one in March 2021, Cody Garbrandt in round one that December, and Steve Erceg in round one in 2024.
Kickboxing. Second-best striking mark at 85, behind boxing at 89. He trained at Tiger Muay Thai in Phuket from 2013.
Wrestling. A strong 82, well above his BJJ at 72.
BJJ. The soft spot. He trained jiu-jitsu only briefly as a boy, and Brandon Royval submitted him in round two in 2020 in a fight where both men had been knocked down in the first.
Strength. Ordinary at 75, second lowest on his card after BJJ at 72.
Durability. Rated 85. He lasted into round three of his 2022 interim title fight with Brandon Moreno before the stoppage.
Cardio. Rated 88. He went the full three rounds with Elias Garcia in his 2018 debut, a unanimous decision that earned Fight of the Night.
Fight IQ. Rated 84. In 2022 he handed Askar Askarov his first loss, by unanimous decision.
Boxing is the reason to build around him
Boxing sits at 89 in his best edition, ahead of every other attribute on the card. The record backs it: he needed a single round to finish Bontorin, Garbrandt and Erceg, and his first fight on The Ultimate Fighter ended in a 30-second knockout of Terrence Mitchell. Put him against anyone who stands and trades and the simulation should give him the first clean exchange more often than not.
Ground work is where the plan gets uncomfortable: BJJ
BJJ is his lowest number at 72, and two of his losses show why. Royval caught him in round two in September 2020, and Alexandre Pantoja finished him with a rear-naked choke in the third round of their 2025 title fight. Against a grappler with real submission skill, he has to keep the fight upright or accept that the finish can arrive from a scramble he did not start.
Keep exploring
Closest flyweight profiles to Kai Kara-France, measured by how near their peak attribute ratings sit across all eight categories.
- Manel Kapebest boxing 88 · weakest strength 75
- John Dodsonbest boxing 86 · weakest bjj 70
- Kyoji Horiguchibest cardio 90 · weakest strength 73
- Sergio Pettisbest cardio 88 · weakest strength 70
- Flyweight division guide: how the whole division rates and who to draft from it.
- Grappling vs striking in the draft: a guide that fits Kai Kara-France's strongest attribute, Boxing.
Draft Kai Kara-France into your build
Kai Kara-France enters the pool on any spin landing on flyweight between 2020 and present. Spin, draft eight attributes, then simulate 25 fights.
Ratings shown are my own estimates, made with AI assistance and informed by how Kai Kara-France is regarded by the MMA community. They are unofficial and do not constitute an assessment of Kai Kara-France's real-world abilities. How the ratings are made. See the disclaimer below. Ratings and write-ups by Haaris A. Last reviewed 2026-09-30; spot an error? Tell us. Read our editorial standards.