Flyweight Kai Kara-France has taken a huge step towards becoming New Zealand's second UFC world champion with an upset win over Askar Askarov at the UFC Fight Night in Columbus, Ohio on Sunday (NZ time).
After the fight went the full three-round distance, 'Don't Blink ' was awarded scores of 29-28 on all of the judges' scorecards to move into pole position to become the next challenger for the flyweight title.
He'll now likely face the winner of champion Deiveson Figueiredo's fourth bout against Brandon Moreno, which is reported to be scheduled for July.
"I know Brandon Moreno and Figueiredo are fighting very soon," Kara-France said in thre Octagon after his win. "I want the next title shot."
Entering the bout as a heavy underdog, the Aucklander defied the bookmakers with a clinical performance, withstanding the Russian's elite grappling with a textbook display of defence to force the fight to take place on the feet, where he was able to cash in on his distinct striking advantage.
Well aware how high the stakes were, Kara-France exploded with joy, as the iconic Bruce Buffer announced he'd emerged victorious, embracing trainer Eugene Bareman and wrestling coach George Hickman.
The result extends Kara-France's unbeaten streak to three fights, while handing Askarov the first loss of his professional MMA career.
The City Kickboxing product enjoyed enormous support from the Nationwide Arena, who chanted his name and cheered his every strike, while Russian Askarov - for obvious reasons - was showered with boos from the introductions and throughout the fight.
The opening round began tentatively, until Askarov was able to secure one of Kara-France's legs and - after negotiating some determined defence from the Kiwi - moved into a dominant position to work for a submission.
But Kara-France was able to survive the tight body lock, carrying Askarov on his back and fighting off the Russian's repeated attempts to sink in a rear-naked choke for almost two minutes until the round ended.
Realising he was down a round, Kara-France ramped up his aggression in the second, repelling more takedown attempts and countering with some telling combinations, as Askarov began to show the effects of his lengthy injury layoff, having not fought since March 2021.
With the contest clearly in the balance entering the third and final stanza, Kara-France was again forced to battle his way out of some compromising grappling positions, continually disheartening his opponent with his dogged defence.
With Askarov tiring and weary of Kara-France's threat on the feet, the Russian looked to avoid danger as the round closed, opening the door for him to get off some parting shots to earn the judge's favour and a razor-close decision.
In the main event, Curtis Blaydes earned a second-round TKO win over Chris Daukaus.
