There’s no stopping Kai Kara-France now.
Kara France — The No. 9 flyweight in MMA Fighting’s Global Rankings — won his third straight fight with a thrilling unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) win over No. 5 Askar Askarov will be fighting at UFC Columbus in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday.
Post-fight, Kara-France called for the winner of the upcoming flyweight title tetralogy bout between champion Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno, which is rumored to be in the works for an event in July. It will be difficult to deny Kara-France his opportunity.
The New Zealander survived a rough start to battle back and take the fight to Askarov (14-1-1), who lost for the first time in his pro career. Askarov’s elite wrestling was on full display in Round 1 as he tripped Kara-France and then quickly established side control. From there, he took Kara-France’s back, locked his legs in as Kara-France stood up with Askarov on his back, and hunted for a choke. Kara-France fought Askarov’s hands to avoid the submission and make it past the first five minutes.
Round 2 immediately proved to be a better one as Kara-France put his fast hands and takedown defense to work. He connected with punches early, then quickly got back up to his feet after being taken down again. Kara-France was a heavy puncher as he supported Askarov at the fence. He also attacked Askarov with counter strikes while stuffing takedowns.
The decider would be likely to come in the third round. Kara-France let his fingers go and occasionally swung wild, but he also avoided Askarov’s takedowns. However, Askarov managed to get a grip on Kara-France and take his back, only to be shaken off without being able to fully establish the dominant position. Kara-France avoided another takedown attempt and went back to work with his boxing, consistently beating Askarov to the punch.
It looked like Kara-France had turned the fight on its head, and the judges all agreed that Kara-France was the victor.
Kara France has won his last three fights, and four out of five in the past to be in prime shape to compete for UFC Flyweight Title.
