Kai Kara-France hints at UFC 317 flyweight title fight against Alexandre Pantoja: “12 weeks out”

It appears that Kai Kara-France is preparing for a summer meeting with UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja.

‘Don’t Blink’ last appeared in the cage at UFC 305 last August in Australia. Kai Kara-France entered the bout riding a two-fight losing streak, previously suffering losses to Amir Albazi and Brandon Moreno. Badly needing a win to remain in title contention, the striker scored a blistering first-round knockout win over Steve Erceg last summer. Post-fight, Kara-France called for a title shot against Alexandre Pantoja.

For his part, ‘The Cannibal’ later secured a second-round submission win over Kai Asakura in December to retain his flyweight gold. Having already defeated most of the flyweight top ten, there’s a lack of title challengers for Alexandre Pantoja. While the Brazilian previously defeated Kai Kara-France, that was an exhibition fight on The Ultimate Fighter 24 in 2016. With that in mind, Pantoja tapped the striker as his next likely title challenger in December.

Now, fans can expect the rematch for UFC 317 during International Fight Week in late June. While the flyweight title bout has been linked to the card for a while, Kai Kara-France added fuel to the rumors earlier this week. Taking to Instagram Stories, ‘Don’t Blink’ put up a post stating that he’ll be fighting for flyweight gold in 12 weeks. That timing would line up with the promotion’s biggest week of the year set for Las Vegas.

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🚨 Kai Kara-France’s latest post on Instagram suggests he’ll be fighting for the UFC flyweight title in 12 weeks, which lines up with #UFC317 during International Fight Week 👀 pic.twitter.com/OmymHtA0jd

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) April 2, 2025

Kai Kara-France teases UFC 317 clash against flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja

As of now, Alexandre Pantoja hasn’t commented on Kai Kara-France’s post and the potential of a clash at UFC 317 this summer. However, ‘The Cannibal’ showed interest in the bout in an interview with Ariel Helwani last winter. At this point in his title reign, Pantoja views the New Zealander as his only logical challenger.

“I’m different, he’s different. Oh yeah [I’m interested in that fight].” UFC champion Alexandre Pantoja stated, when asked about a potential rematch with Kai Kara-France. “For now, that’s the one that makes the most sense. In the last three fights, he’s lost twice. But for now, with what I’ve done to my division, nothing makes sense anymore.”

He continued, “I fight the number one, number two, top ten, then you bring in someone from somewhere else. I think everybody has a chance right now. Very nice fight. Yeah, Kai Kara-France is a very exciting fight. That’s the one that’s going to bring me to another level.”

What do you make of these comments from the UFC flyweight contender? Do you want to see Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Kara-France?