"We just couldn't go to the gym" - Kai Kara-France recalls how he trained for Cody Garbrandt amidst New Zealand's strict lockdown
Kai Kara-France recently revealed the difficulties he and other Kiwi fighters faced while preparing for their bouts during the COVID-19 lockdown period.
Kara-France, Israel Adesanya, and Alexander Volkanovski recently appeared for a press-conference ahead of their next scheduled match-ups. Kara-France, a top flyweight contender, was asked how hard it was to train and prepare for his fights amidst lockdown in New Zealand. Here's what he said:
"Our gym was shut for like four months. Preparing for that Cody Grabrandt fight, I was training at my garage, training at my park, we just couldn't go to the gym. It was getting watched over by everyone. So, we had to kind of be creative, meet up teammates, secretly meet up and just train and do our job."
Watch Kai Kara-France talk about his training difficulties during lockdown:
Kara-France faced Garbrandt at UFC 269. A former bantamweight champion, 'No Love' moved down to the flyweight division and took on the New Zealander in his first fight at 125lbs.
However, the contest didn't go his way. 'Don't Blink' earned a first-round knockout finish to hand Garbrandt yet another loss. Kara-France has since defeated Askar Askarov via decision in March.
Kai Kara-France is set to return against Brandon Moreno at UFC 277
Kai Kara-France is set to make a return to the octagon at UFC 277 as he takes on Brandon Moreno with the interim flyweight title on the line. The fight in July will be a rematch between the duo. They have previously clashed at UFC 245 with 'The Assassin Baby' claiming a decision win on that occasion.
Moreno is a former champion of the division who is looking to get another shot at at current title holder Deiveson Figueiredo. However, the Brazilian has hinted at a move up to the bantamweight division. Moreno will have the chance to capture the interim title in the 125 lbs division given he manages to earn yet another win against Kara-France.
Kara-France, meanwhile, is on a three-fight winning streak at the moment. The 29-year-old currently sits at the No. 2 rank in the flyweight division of the UFC.
The interim title fight is scheduled to take place in the co-main event of UFC 277. Julianna Pena is set to put her bantamweight title on the line in the main event as she takes on Amanda Nunes in a rematch.