[Watch] Israel Adesanya and Alexander Volkanovski's live reaction to Kai Kara-France getting submitted by Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 317
Israel Adesanya and Alexander Volkanovski had cage-side seats at UFC 317, where they hoped to watch their friend and training partner, Kai Kara-France, capture UFC flyweight gold. Unfortunately, the triumph they longed for never came to pass, as they instead witnessed Kara-France's devastating loss.
A clip of both Adesanya and Volkanovski reacting to Kara-France's submission loss to Alexandre Pantoja is now making the rounds on social media. The X account Championship Rounds shared the clip in question on the platform, and Adesanya can be heard cursing in frustration:
"F*ck, man. F*ck!"
Check out Israel Adesanya's reaction to Kai Kara-France's loss below (0:30):
The bout between Kara-France and Pantoja served as UFC 317's co-main event, and it couldn't have gone any worse for the proud Kiwi, barring a first-round knockout in the opening seconds. Instead, what transpired was complete domination from Pantoja in every facet of MMA.
The fight opened with Pantoja forcing a fierce exchange, which Kara-France was more than willing to oblige. However, when the New Zealander squared his hips to fire back, Pantoja ducked under a punch and took him down. Pantoja spent the rest of the round controlling and outgrappling his foe.
Come round two, he outstruck him, before securing another takedown and submitting him with a rear-naked choke. Kara-France had nothing for him in the fight, and it's questionable whether he even deserved the title shot, as he had just rebounded from a two-fight losing streak by knocking out Steve Erceg at UFC 305.
Now, he is 1-3 in his last four fights, with his last win streak being in 2022.
This isn't the first time Israel Adesanya has watched Kai Kara-France get finished
Unfortunately, the sight of Kai Kara-France getting finished in a title fight isn't unfamiliar to Israel Adesanya or Alexander Volkanovski. Both men were in attendance at UFC 277, when 'Don't Blink' faced ex-flyweight champion Brandon Moreno for the interim flyweight title.
Check out Israel Adesanya and Alexander Volkanovski's reaction to Kai Kara-France losing at UFC 277 below (10:04):
Despite doing well, Kara-France was ultimately finished by a body kick and body punches in round three. Adesanya and Volkanovski can be seen cage-side, looking dismayed by the result.