Kai Kara-France admits that while fighting Alexandre Pantoja on the ground at UFC 317, things felt manageable initially – but that feeling quickly changed.
Before Ilia Topuria secured his historic win against Charles Oliveira, Pantoja also finished his opponent inside the distance to retain his championship gold.
In the co-main event, Pantoja defeated Kara-France via submission in the third round. This victory cemented Pantoja`s status as the longest-reigning active male champion in the UFC.
While Alexandre Pantoja and his team celebrate, Kai Kara-France faces the disappointment of a second title fight loss, indicating a potentially lengthy journey back to another championship opportunity.
Kai Kara-France Reflects on Lack of `Urgency` During Ground Fight at UFC 317
This wasn`t the first time the New Zealander flyweight`s title aspirations were thwarted; he previously lost to Brandon Moreno for the interim title at UFC 277 in 2022.
Following a similar outcome three years later, a visibly disappointed Kara-France discussed the setback in a backstage interview with Sky Sport NZ at the T-Mobile Arena.
“Hats off to Pantoja, he`s the champ for a reason,” Kara-France stated. “He`s just tough. I hit him a few times, and he just kept coming forward.”
“I felt alright initially, but as it got deeper, I just became stuck,” he explained. “That`s his domain on the ground, and I didn`t show enough urgency to escape, which was dangerous for me.”
“I`m just proud to represent the gym, our coaches, and our team. I want to say a big thanks for all the support back home,” Kara-France added. “It`s tough because I`ve been in this position before… it gets harder to bounce back each time when you invest so much.”
“That`s the nature of the fight game, and I`m going to hold my head up high… I`ll live to fight another day.”
Alexandre Pantoja`s Next Title Challenger Appears Set
As Kara-France recovers and plans his next steps, Pantoja already seems to have his next opponent lined up.
Shortly after his fourth successful title defense, where he also became the winningest flyweight in UFC history, `The Cannibal` had a face-off with Joshua Van.
Earlier in the night, Van defeated Brandon Royval in a hard-fought bout, sealing his short-notice victory over the top-ranked contender with a late knockdown.
Consequently, the promising Burmese flyweight appears to have bypassed others in the division, earning a potential title shot based on his recent back-to-back wins at June pay-per-views.
