Kai Kara-France takes inspiration from the way Israel Adesanya bounced back against Alex Pereira.
Adesanya (23-2 MMA, 12-2 UFC) had already lost to Pereira three times heading into UFC 287 as “The Last Stylebender” was defeated by Pereira twice in kickboxing and then dethroned by knockout in MMA at UFC 281.
But Adesanya was able to to get some revenge when the pair rematched in April, scoring a knockout of his own to reclaim the middleweight title. Kara-France has lost to flyweight champion Brandon Moreno twice and is motivated by teammate Adesanya’s ability to overcome adversity.
“Izzy going out there and shocking the world, one of the biggest moments in our generation for combat sport,” Kara-France told Submission Radio. “Knocking out Alex Pereira and the way he did, you couldn’t write a better script. And I take away so much from that just because the mental focus and the kind of character Izzy has is just amazing.
“Never once did he ever say, ‘I can’t beat this guy.’ And in his head, he’s always known that: ‘I can get it back.’ And that’s what I love to see. I love to see that confidence, where when everyone else is doubting you, you go in there and you get it done. And yeah, that’s why it was so shocking, just the way he did it and how he pumped himself up. And I took a lot away from that fight.”
Coming off a title loss to Moreno, Kara-France (24-10 MMA, 7-3 UFC) will look to channel some of that confidence himself when he meets Amir Albazi (16-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 45 main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.
“It’s just that self-belief you’ve got to have in yourself,” Kara-France added. “And Izzy’s always been the reminder of it’s that way you talk to yourself. You’ve got to always hold on to that hope, that fighting spirit that’s always got to be embedded in you. And that’s something you can’t learn.
“It’s just something that’s got to be in you. I guess me being Maori, I always fall back into my culture, and I look at what my ancestors would’ve done, and that’s a great blueprint for me of how I can navigate my way through life and just know that it’s in my blood. It’s my blood to go fight. It’s in my blood to go to war. So, that’s something I tap into as well.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 45.
