Kai Kara-France has continued his march through the UFC’s flyweight division with a unanimous decision win over Mark de la Rosa in Shenzhen, China.
Kiwi flyweight, Kara-France, who joined the UFC late last year, executed his game plan well against the US Mixed Martial Arts Artist, Mark de la Rosa, keeping the fight upright for the most of their 15-minute encounter.
The result is an impressive start for Kara-France’s UFC career, who went into the fight ranked 10th after winning his first two appearances in the octagon.
The 26-year old can expect another rise when the rankings are next updated after extending his overall winning streak to eight, a run that dates back to the end of 2016.
“I took a risk. He is a hard opponent, but another win for us, three in a row in UFC, eight-fight win streak,” Kara-France said after the bout.
“I’m just going to keep taking out names, there are nine guys ahead of me. I just want to keep fighting, I want to stay active.
“This is the sport that I love. I never have to work a day in my life because I get to travel and get to compete against the world’s best in the highest level in the UFC.”
De La Rosa (11-3) was making his comeback to the division after spending his past two bouts at bantamweight. And with six of his 11 career wins coming via submission, he always thought he had the edge on the ground. However, Kara-France never gave him the opportunity.
It was an extraordinary show from both fighters since both were throwing heavy combinations. However, Kara-France did exceedingly well to win over the judges to take the unanimous decision (30-27×2, 29-28).
Kara-France has expressed his desire to join City Kickboxing teammates Israel Adesanya and Dan Hooker on the UFC 243 card in Melbourne on October 6.
