Kiwi UFC juggernaut Kai Kara-France is preparing to celebrate a landmark moment in his 11-year professional career on Sunday (NZ time), when he takes to the Octagon for a rematch with Brandon Moreno in the co-main event of UFC 277 at Dallas with the interim flyweight championship at stake.
A lot of blood has passed under the bridge since the two last met in December 2019, when the Mexican had his hand-raised to claim a tight unanimous decision and hand Kara-France his first UFC loss.
Almost three years later, 'Don't Blink' is amid his most impressive streak to date, with three straight wins to his name - including a show-stealing first-round KO of former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt at UFC 269 in December.
With champion Deiveson Figueiredo on the shelf for an extended period with injuries to both hands suffered in his trilogy bout with Moreno in January, the UFC decided to implement an interim championship title bout - a means of keeping the top of the division active when a champion is waylaid.
In early 2019, Kara-France's City Kickboxing teammate Israel Adesanya went through the same process, when then-middleweight champion Robert Whittaker was shelved for an extended period with injury. He edged Kelvin Gastelum in an instant classic to secure the interim title, before defeating the Australian six months later to essentially unify the belts.
The UFC doesn't recognise interim titles as official championships, per se, but as far as Kara-France is concerned, he's taking on the best fighter in the division this weekend - when whoever prevails could rightfully claim to be king of the 125lbers (56.7kg).
After the pair had battled to a draw in their first bout, Moreno submitted Figureido in their rematch to be crowned flyweight champion. The Mexican then lost the belt back to the Brazilian after he was on the wrong end of a razor-close decision in a trilogy fight that many - including Kara-France - believe should have gone his way.
"I thought Brandon won the last fight [against Figueiredo], so in my eyes, I'm fighting the better fighter," he told Newshub.
"Even though this is an interim title, it's still a world title. So, I've just put my best foot forward and put everything into this. I've been visualising this since I was 10 years old. Since I walked into my first ever MMA gym. Here we are now, a few days out from fighting for a world title.
"I can't wait to go in there, represent New Zealand and bring another world title back to City Kickboxing."
Either way, Figureido will await whoever emerges victorious this weekend to determine the true flyweight champion, and Kara-France intends - once his hand is raised - to bring that unification bout down to action-starved Australasia.
The UFC hasn't held an event in the southern hemisphere since February 2020, when Dan Hooker pipped Paul Felder in a scintillating main event at Auckland, and there are whispers the promotion is eyeing an Australian event in early 2023.
"I'm obviously not looking past Brendon, but that's how I see things happening," he clarified. "Me winning on [Sunday] and then unifying against Figueiredo - hopefully in New Zealand or Australia and bringing a world title to the fans down here."
But first lies a significant obstacle in 'The Assassin Baby' Moreno. The 28-year-old Mexican's blend of charm, his perma-smile and his electric boxing have seen him shoot to bonafide cult hero status.
He became the first Mexican-born UFC champion with his victory over Figueiredo in June 2021, which propelled him to superstardom among his combat sports-mad compatriots.
He'll bring a rabid army of fans with him to the American Airlines Centre at Dallas, which has an enormous Mexican population, not to mention those who'll make the trek north of the border to support their newest hero.
The sensation will be unfamiliar for Kara-France, whose deserved reputation for delivering excitement has earned him the favour of every crowd he's appeared in front of.
But he's aware he'll be walking into a cauldron and insists he's ready to harness that energy for his own cause, including the boost provided by Patea Māori Club's Kiwi classic that's become his trademark entrance song.
"I'll be walking out to 'Poi E', so when I hear that music, it just reminds me who I'm representing and why I'm doing this," he said. "It brings me back to the present of just feeling at home, feeling comfortable and representing Aotearoa.
"It's just a reminder to everyone back home that now it's a party and now that we're here, we're here to represent.
"I'm fighting in hostile territory in Dallas, Texas, close to Mexico, I know everyone's going to be there to support him. I just welcome that. I welcome everyone going against me because I feed off it. I've always been the underdog, always been overlooked, always been underestimated and that's what I go and do.
"I go out there and shock everyone and I won't be surprised when I catch him early and I put him away."
And Kara-France has plenty of reasons to feel confident heading into his sophomore showdown against Moreno.
While the decision didn't go his way the first time they met, he had plenty of success with his patented right hand, twice wobbling Moreno in the first round, before his opponent adjusted and gained the upper hand by adopting a suffocating high-pressure attack that nullified Kara-France's offence.
Both fighters have improved exponentially since they first met, and their rematch is almost guaranteed to deliver on its co-main event billing. Due to the interim title being on the line, this time around the pair will fight over five rounds, which should dramatically increase the chance of fireworks. It will also be the first time the Aucklander has competed in a five-rounder, should the contest get that far.
"In the first fight, he did well to adapt and edge a decision," recalled Kara-France. "This time I'll make it look easy.
"Obviously, when you're fighting for titles and you both want it and you're both not backing down, sometimes you just have to bite down on your mouthpiece and start swinging. And I'll happily oblige if Brandon wants to do that and he wants to stay in my face and make this ugly, we can hopefully go there. So I'm ready to go wherever this fight goes. Five rounds or one round."
"I like the guy but I've got to respect my dreams and put my family first. And he wants everything I want, which is to be a world champion. So, I've got to take it to him. And that's what I plan on doing.
Becoming a husband and a father (to son, Cobi) has given Kara-France both a renewed sense of purpose and unwavering focus and determination, as the 29-year-old enters his prime.
He's seen that world champion standard set by teammates Israel Adesanya and Alex Volkanovski on a daily basis, and says he realises precisely what is required to achieve his lifelong dream and join the pantheon of NZ combat sports greats by bringing a third UFC belt back to City Kickboxing.
While he'll enter Sunday's fight as the betting underdog, growing up a victim of bullying - which first led him to taking up martial arts - has meant he's well-accustomed to overcoming the odds.
"I think that's why people can relate to my story and see where I've come from, you know, being bullied," he admitted. "That's how I started the sport.
"Now having a son and having a legacy that I want to instill into him… showcase what I've done in my career and what I've been able to do, which is persevere, push past the adversity and make it to the top and be the best in the world.
"If the fight turns into a dog fight and it's about who wants it more, I just don't see me taking a backwards step. I'll put everything into this, and I'll point down at the ground and swing. I'll swing until I can't move. And that's just where I'm at.
"We're trying to showcase New Zealand combat sports and pave the way for the next generation. So my journey is about inspiring and showcasing that if you want to do this, and this is what you want to be, you can be UFC world champion."
Kara-France's City Kickboxing teammate Blood Diamond will also be in action on Sunday, when he'll be looking to bounce back from defeat in his UFC debut against Orion Cosce in the event's opening fight.
In the main event, Amanda Nunes is out to avenge her upset loss to Julianna Pena and regain her women's bantamweight crown.
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