Kai Kara-France outperformed the betting odds against Askar Askarov on Saturday with an upset victory at UFC on ESPN 33.
Kara-France (24-9 MMA, 7-2 UFC) ended the undefeated run of Askarov (14-1-1 MMA, 3-1-1 UFC) with a gutsy unanimous decision win in the high-stakes flyweight matchup.
After a rough first round, Kara-France came on strong in the second and third to win a 29-28 decision on all three scorecards. Afterward, he called for a title shot against the presumed upcoming fourth championship meeting between Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno.
“I know Brandon Moreno and Figueiredo are fighting very soon,” Kara-France said. “I want the next title shot.”
KAI KARA-FRANCE TAKES THE W ON HIS BIRTHDAY 🎂
[ @KaiKaraFrance | #UFCColumbus ] pic.twitter.com/uSKy8OFa9v
— UFC (@ufc) March 27, 2022
The 125-pound bout was part of the UFC on ESPN 33 main card at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
It was a tentative start to the fight, but once the pair came together, the action picked up in a big way. Askarov chased his first takedown less than two minutes in and Kara-France showed some initial resistance. Askarov kept on him and got the fight down, though, which allowed him to take the back and threaten with the submissions. Kara-France was at serious threaten of being finished, but he defended the choke attempts until the end of the round.
Kara-France opened the second round with his best moment of the fight to that point. He connected with an overland right that caught Askarov’s attention, but it only prompted the Russian to land a takedown. Kara-France got back to his feet and tried to land a knockout blow, but Askarov was wise defensively. That’s until Kara-France found his range and started connecting. He wobbled Askarov multiple times as he threw caution to the wind and press forward. He couldn’t drop Askarov, but his pressure changed the momentum of the fight.
The third round began with Kara-France showing confidence. Askarov hit him with a low kick to halt the action, though, causing a break. The fight continued and Askarov waiting for his moment to shoot in and get a body lock against the fence. He worked his clinch positions and tired to get the fight down to the ground, but Kara-France stayed evasive and got it back into a striking matchup. Both men landed some solid punches on each other down the stretch, but nothing clean enough go threaten a stoppage as it was narrowly contested to the end.
What. A. Scrap – who you got? 📝
[ #UFCColumbus LIVE on @ESPN ] pic.twitter.com/xKFzzGsOx0
— UFC (@ufc) March 27, 2022
Both men raised their hands in victory when it all came to an end, but the judges sided with Kara-France, who now has back-to-back wins over Askarov and Cody Garbrandt on his resume.
- Kai Kara-France def. Askar Askarov via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Neil Magny def. Max Griffin via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Marc Diakiese def. Viacheslav Borshchev via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Sara McMann def. Karol Rosa via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Chris Gutierrez def. Danaa Batgerel via TKO (spinning back fist, punches) – Round 2, 2:34
- Aliaskhab Khizriev def. Denis Tiuliulin via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 1:58
- Manon Fiorot def. Jennifer Maia via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Matheus Nicolau def. David Dvorak via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Luis Saldana def. Bruno Souza via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
