Don't get caught up too early - Kai Kara-France on what he learned from the Islam Makhachev vs. Dan Hooker fight
Kai Kara-France will take on Askar Askarov in what is set to be an intriguing flyweight encounter at this weekend's UFC Fight Night event. The event will take place at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, on March 26, 2022.
Ahead of the fight, the Kiwi fighter claims to have done his homework on how to defend against the aggressive combat sambo style of wrestling Askarov, who hails from Dagestan, has in his arsenal.
Kara-France claims to have learned from his City Kickboxing teammate Dan Hooker's first-round submission loss to Dagestani lightweight contender Islam Makhachev last October.
Khabib Nurmagomedov holding Hasbulla in the air after Islam Makhachev’s win over Dan Hooker at #UFC267 😂 https://t.co/JBcoU6Gtvc
During an interview with It's Time For Sports, Kai Kara-France revealed that he will be cautious with his kicks in the fight. That's because he knows sambo wrestlers train extensively to catch kicks and transition into takedowns.
He also stated that he doesn't want to get taken down early in the fight and wants to slowly build offense instead of rushing things and making mistakes.
"Stuff that I could just take from Dan's fight [with Islam Makhachev], yeah, definitely just early on with guys [Makhachev and Askarov], you know, they extensively work catching kicks so I won't be kicking too early in the fight... So stuff that I could take away from Dan's fight, you know, don't get caught up too early in the fight, let it build slowly and then see what he's bringing to the table before I kind of commit to things."
Check out the interview below:
Bookmakers favor Askar Askarov to prevail over Kai Kara-France
Kai Kara-France is a +250 betting underdog heading into his upcoming scrap with Askar Askarov this weekend, per FightOdds.io. Askarov, on the other hand, is an overwhelming -325 favorite.
Those odds mean that anyone betting on Kara-France can win $250 by wagering $100, whereas those betting on Askarov must wager $325 to win $100.
UFC Fight Night Opening Odds:
Askar Askarov (-325)
Kai Kara-France (+250)
fightodds.io/fights/kai-kar…
Both Kara-France and Askarov are coming off wins in their respective last fights inside the octagon.
While the New Zealander picked up a thrilling stoppage win over Cody Garbrandt at UFC 269 in December 2021, Askarov defeated Joseph Benavidez via unanimous decision at UFC 259 last March.
The winner of this fight is likely to fight for Deiveson Figueiredo's flyweight title next.