Kai Kara-France says “delusional” Rogerio Bontorin is disrespectful calling for a rematch
Interview with Kai Kara-France above
Kai Kara-France is adamant Rogerio Bontorin would be in the hospital if the referee did not stop the fight.
The 27-year-old flyweight powerhouse picked up a performance bonus-worthy knockout victory at UFC 259 when he landed a devastating overhand right that crashed his Brazilian foe to the mat. Yet Bontorin took to Instagram to contest the stoppage and even congratulated Herb Dean for the win.
“[Bontorin] should be thanking me for saving his life,” Kara-France told MyMMANews. “If I followed up, he would be in the hospital with an even bigger concussion. I’m glad to get the win, glad to get the finish, glad to live up to my nickname finally ‘Don’t Blink’.
“It just shows that he needs about a six-month medical stand-down because of how delusional he is. He still thinks he had a fighting chance. Me walking away is being respectful. But the approach he is taking is not respectful. Part of me wishes I didn’t let him off and I should have gone in for the final blow. And take him out and make him fully unconscious.”
Also mentioned in the social media post was a call for a rematch. Despite battling most of the round grappling on the canvas, Kara-France shrugs off any chance of that happening.
“He supposed to be this black belt, the City Kickboxing representative said about Bontorin. “Nine finishes, rear-naked chokes. This is his world and we were there for 4 minutes and he couldn’t finish me. And we were only in my world for 10 seconds and I got the job done so that just shows there are levels to this. We were ranked number 8. Now, I move on to bigger and better things. Anyone in that top five is who I got my eyes set on.”
Despite the bitter aftermath of the fight, ‘Don’t Blink’ is enjoying the first finish of his UFC career and looking to build off the momentum.
“It’s massive to get the win,” Kara-France said. “To get back in the win column. It takes so much just to build yourself back up again coming from a loss using that as fuel. Back in title contention, back in the race. The fastest way to get to a title shot is to be exciting. It’s great to get a finish like that and make people remember who I am.”
After the mandatory quarantine required to reenter New Zealand is over, he will go home to celebrate with family and friends as well as spend some quality time with his newly born son.
Kara-France will meet with his coaches at City Kickboxing to assess the future and decide what the next step will be.
