Watch: Kai Kara-France comes back to try and hit opponent again during victory lap following knock out
Kai Kara-France got back into the win column after knocking out Rogerio Bontorin in the preliminary card of UFC 259. The 27-year-old Kiwi produced a strong snapback after surviving a string of Bontorin's submission attempts.
He scored a knockout in the dying minutes of the first round and appeared to have claimed the win before referee Herb Dean officially stopped the fight. Assuming that the clash may not have ended, Kai Kara-France stormed forward to continue his pursuit of Bontorin by attempting to hit him with a few more punches. However, Dean made sure to stop 'Don't Blink'.
Kai Kara-France and Rogerio Bontorin exchanged a few early blows before the latter tossed his opponent to the mat. Taking Kara-France's back, the Brazilian largely dominated the fight while trying to submit the Kiwi with multiple neck crank and rear-naked choke attempts.
Kara-France somehow managed to sneak out of Bontorin's grip. After both Flyweights were back to their feet, it was the New Zealander who sniped the Brazilian with a combination of punches that sent him to the canvas.
Kai Kara-France puts the flyweight division on notice
At the post-fight interview, Kai Kara-France dedicated his victory to his new-born son and warned the Flyweight division about his presence in the 125-pound weight class.
He last competed at UFC 253 in September 2020 where he engaged in an entertaining two-round brawl against Brandon Royval. Kara-France said he is open to challenging Royval for a rematch, and wouldn't mind getting revenge on Brandon Moreno. The New Zealander lost to Moreno at UFC 245.
Moreno is expected to fight Deiveson Figueiredo for the UFC Flyweight championship on June 12 this year. The two Flyweights collided in a classic five-round war at UFC 256 in December 2020.