Kai Kara-France stuns Rogerio Bontorin in bizarre TKO finish
Kai Kara-France made his time on his feet worth it at UFC 259 on Saturday, March 6.
Kara-France survived early submission attempts in the first round and cracked Bontorin with a right hand. Bontorin fell down and referee Herb Dean pushes Kara-France away. “Don’t Blink” runs around the cage in celebration, but then he second guesses the stoppage and goes back for more. Dean steps in and calls the fight ff before Kara-France could land a hammer fist.
Kara-France improves to 22-9 and Bontorin drops to 16-3.
Rogerio Bontorin vs. Kai Kara-France Preview
There are three title fights going down at UFC 259 this Saturday, March 6.
The main event is when two champions will collide as the middleweight king Israel Adesanya challenges the light-heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The reigning women’s bantamweight and featherweight champion Amanda Nunes welcomes Australia’s Megan Anderson in the co-main event.
Bantamweight title holder Petr Yan makes his first defense against the surging Aljamain Sterling in the first championship bout of the evening.
Kicking off the prelims on ESPN and ESPN + is a top-10 flyweight affair between Rogerio Bontorin and Kai Kara-France.
Bontorin is coming off his first UFC defeat, a unanimous decision loss to Ray Borg at UFC on ESPN+ 25 in February. The defeat snapped a four-fight win streak for the Brazilian.
He is 2-1 inside the octagon with victories over Raulian Paiva and Magomed Bibulatov in 2019.
Kara-France looks to jump at least one position in the rankings. Currently pegged at No. 9, he takes on the eighth-ranked Bontorin.
The New Zealand native is 1-2 in his last three UFC appearances. He most recently suffered a second-round guillotine choke to Brandon Royval at UFC 253 this past September.
His last victory is a unanimous decision win against Tyson Nam at UFC on ESPN+26 in February 2020.
Here is how the flyweight bout between Rogerio Bontorin and Kai Kara-France went down at UFC 259, including round-by-round scoring. For full event results, check them out right here.
Kai Kara-France bests Bontorin in three
ROUND 1
Both men hesitant to engage, respecting one another early on. Kara-France throws to looping hooks to counter a jab from Bontorin. Kara-France lands a low-leg kick. Bontorin smothers Kara-France and scores a takedown. Bontorin takes the back of Kara-France and immediately locks in the body triangle. Kara-France is protecting his neck. Bontorin is taking his time, staying patient. Kara-France lands two right hands from behind. Kara-France rolls to his right, taking pressure off the body triangle. Bontorin is using his feet to keep Kara-France from moving. Kara-France gets to his feet and Bontorin locks in a rear-naked choke. Kara-France escapes. Bontorin locks in another choke and Kara-France falls backwards. Kara-France is able to defend. Bontorin keeps the pressure on. Kara-France and Bontorin split. Kara-France stuns Bontorin with a right hand and Bontorin goes down. Kara-France celebrates as referee Herb Dean pushes him away. Then Kara-France second guesses the call and goes back for a hammer fist. Bontorin looks to get back into the fight, but Her Dean calls the official stoppage. Bizarre ending to a come-back victory for Kai-Kara France.
MyMMANews.com scores it 10-9 for Kara France
Official result: Kai Kara-France def. Rogerio Bontorin via first-round TKO at 4:55 in round 1.
WHAT IS HAPPENING!? 🤯
🇳🇿 @KaiKaraFrance just delivered with one heck of a comeback!
[ LIVE on @UFCFightPass, ESPN2, #ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/Gn2zS6f2Ap
— UFC (@ufc) March 7, 2021
