Kai “Don't Blink”Kara-France

Kai Kara-France is a New Zealand mixed martial artist who competes in the UFC flyweight division. Born in Auckland, he trains at City Kickboxing and is identified by the UFC as a kickboxer. The UFC’s current athlete profile lists him as active and records his most recent bout as a UFC flyweight championship fight against Alexandre Pantoja on June 28, 2025. Pantoja won by third-round rear-naked choke.

Kara-France began training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu as a child and moved into mixed martial arts during his teenage years. He later won a training scholarship at Tiger Muay Thai in Thailand, where he spent several years competing on the Asian circuit before appearing on The Ultimate Fighter Season 24. After returning to Auckland, he established City Kickboxing as his long-term training base and made his UFC debut on December 2, 2018.

A notable phase of Kara-France’s UFC career included a first-round stoppage of Cody Garbrandt at UFC 269, a unanimous-decision victory over Askar Askarov in March 2022, and an interim flyweight title challenge against Brandon Moreno later that year. He also returned from a lengthy layoff to stop Steve Erceg at UFC 305 in August 2024, earning another opportunity to compete for UFC gold against Pantoja in 2025. His style is built around fast, accurate kickboxing, counterpunching and the finishing threat associated with his nickname, “Don’t Blink.”