Kai Kara-France Biography: James Kaiwhare “Kai” Kara-France (born March 26, 1993) is a professional mixed martial artist from New Zealand, currently competing in the UFC’s flyweight division. As of December 5, 2023, he holds the #4 spot in the UFC flyweight rankings.
Kai Kara-France Biography
Kai Kara-France is that rare New Zealand fighter who somehow makes the flyweight division feel way bigger than it is. He’s bounced between bantamweight and flyweight, cutting his teeth all over the globe—from Legend Fighting Championship to Pacific Xtreme Combat and even Bandung Fighting Club—so he’s got that grind-you-don’t-see-on-TV kind of experience. Now sitting at #4 in the UFC flyweight rankings, he’s this tantalizing mix of “almost at the top” and “still proving himself,” the kind of fighter who makes every fight feel urgent, messy, and impossible to look away from.
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Visit Express VPNKai Kara-France Biography 2026 Details
| Born | James Kaiwhare Kara-France 26 March 1993 (age 32) Auckland, New Zealand |
| Nickname | Don’t Blink |
| Height | 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m) |
| Weight | 125 lb (57 kg; 8.9 st) |
| Division | Flyweight Bantamweight |
| Reach | 69 in (175 cm) |
| Fighting out of | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Team | Tiger Muay Thai (2012–2016) City Kickboxing (2016–present) |
| Rank | Blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Category | WWE News |
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About Kai Kara-France
James Kaiwhare “Kai” Kara-France is a New Zealand professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of 5 December 2023, he is #4 in the UFC flyweight rankings.
Kai Kara-France Wiki
- Born: 26 March 1993 (age 32 years), Auckland, New Zealand
- Weight: 57 kg
- Height: 63 m
- Nickname: Don’t Blink
- Nationality: New Zealand
- Education: Mount Albert Grammar School, Unitec Mt Albert Campus
- Division: Flyweight; Bantamweight
Early Life of Kai Kara-France
Born on March 26, 1993, in Auckland, New Zealand, Kai Kara-France has made a name for himself in mixed martial arts, particularly in the UFC’s flyweight division.
Kai Kara-France had a New Year’s routine at the outset of his professional career. Every year, he’d write out his goals and resolutions and, at the top of the list, the aspiring fighter would pencil in his biggest dream: fight in the UFC. “Every year since I started my career, my New Year’s resolution was ‘make the UFC’ and for nearly 10 years, I couldn’t tick that off as accomplished,” said the flyweight contender, who returns to the Octagon this weekend in in a hometown showdown with Tyson Nam at Spark Arena in Auckland.
Kai Kara-France’s Family Life
Kai Kara-France tends to keep his personal life private, but it is known that he married Chardae during the COVID-19 lockdown, and the couple are parents to two children. Their firstborn, Cobi, has been featured on their social media accounts.
A pro since 2010, Kara-France got a little taste of what it would be like to compete on the biggest stage in the sport as a cast member on Season 24 of The Ultimate Fighter, but after losing to Alexandre Pantoja in the quarterfinals, he wasn’t offered a spot to compete at the finale. He lost his first bout following the show, snapping a five-fight winning streak, but rebounded with three wins in seven weeks, hopeful that his impressive run of success and experience on TUF would land him a place on the fight card when the promotion returned to Auckland for a second time in the summer of 2017.
Kai Kara-France’s Career Timeline
Kai made his UFC debut on December 1, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 142, where he secured a dominant unanimous decision victory over Elias Garcia. This victory marked the beginning of his rise in the flyweight division.
Undeterred by the loss, Kara-France bounced back in February 2020 with a victory over Tyson Nam at UFC Fight Night 168 in his hometown of Auckland. Unfortunately, in September 2020, he faced Brandon Royval at UFC 253 and lost by guillotine choke in the second round, after a back-and-forth first round. He came back strong in March 2021 at UFC 259 with a spectacular first-round knockout of Rogerio Bontorin, earning a Performance of the Night bonus.
Partnerships and Endorsements
Beyond the octagon, Kai Kara-France has found ways to keep the cash flowing with partnerships like YouKnowClothing and Onnys.co, proving that a fighter’s life isn’t just about fight purses. These collaborations give him a little extra breathing room—and a chance to flex off the mats—while keeping him connected to the brands and communities he actually cares about, rather than just chasing every paycheck that comes his way.
I missed out when the UFC came back, when Mark Hunt fought Derrick Lewis,” explained the 26-year-old, who carries a 20-8, 1 NC record into Saturday’s clash with Nam. “I was there campaigning (to be included on that card). I fought three times in seven weeks just to kind of separate myself from the pack, but didn’t get a call-up. “I was there, front row, visualizing my walkout, thinking about what it would be like if I had a knockout like Dan (Hooker) had against Ross Pearson and how crazy the atmosphere would be.
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Kai Kara-France’s Career Stats and Record
Kai Kara-France has amassed a professional MMA record of 24 wins and 11 losses, with one no-contest. He has won 11 of his bouts by knockout/TKO, 3 by submission, and 10 by decision. In his UFC career, he has accumulated seven victories and four defeats.
But here we are now, a few years out from that dream, and it’s becoming a reality,” he added. “It’s all right in front of me and we’ve been doing all the work to make sure that we’re covering our tracks. I’m coming into this fight fully confident because I’ve been through so much already in my career.” While he was able to cross “make it to the UFC” off his personal bucket list at the end of 2018, this weekend’s bout against Nam still carries a tremendous amount of importance for the Auckland born and raised flyweight.
Career
Kara-France has only fought in his home country three times, including the first two fights of his professional career. Where some competitors aren’t all that keen about competing at home due to increased media responsibilities, heightened expectations, and old friends looking to reconnect in order to score tickets, Kara-France, like the rest of his fellow New Zealanders set to compete on the card at Spark Arena, takes great pride in getting to represent his nation and his people at home this weekend. It’s something very special,” he said. “I am Maori, I do come from the native people of New Zealand, so being able to perform in front of them live is incredible. A lot of my family hasn’t seen me fight live because a lot of my fights have been overseas, so I’ve definitely not taken this for granted.
It’s something very special,” he said. “I am Maori, I do come from the native people of New Zealand, so being able to perform in front of them live is incredible. A lot of my family hasn’t seen me fight live because a lot of my fights have been overseas, so I’ve definitely not taken this for granted. Not only does this weekend’s event provide Kara-France with the opportunity to compete at home on the UFC stage that he’s long coveted, but it also affords him the chance to make a quick return to the Octagon and get back into the win column after having his eight-fight winning streak snapped by Moreno in mid-December.
Kai Kara-France’s Net Worth 2026
Kai Kara-France’s net worth is estimate at $500,000. A significant portion of his income comes from his UFC career, including his base salary and performance bonuses. Additionally, he has endorsement deals with brands like YouKnowClothing and Onnys.co. His base salary in the UFC is report to be $150,000, and in his most recent fight, he earned a total of $232,000, including bonuses.
