Kai Kara-France set for fast turnaround against Manel Kape at UFC 293 in Australia

By Josh Evanoff - June 20, 2023

UFC flyweight contenders Kai Kara-France and Manel Kape are set to collide in September.

Kai Kara-France and Manel Kape.

‘Don’t Blink’ is fresh off his return at UFC Vegas 74 earlier this month. The bout was Kai Kara-France’s first since coming up short against Brandon Moreno for interim gold last July. As the headliner, he faced Amir Albazi. In the flyweight main event, many felt that the New Zealander did much of the better work.

However, ‘The Prince’ wound up getting the nod by a controversial split decision. The result was extremely controversial, and seemingly left a sour taste in Kai Kara-France’s mouth. That’s likely led to his fast turnaround, as first reported by Brett Okamoto of ESPN. The flyweight contender has already agreed to return in September.

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Kai Kara-France

Image Credit: UFC

Kai Kara-France is now slated to return at UFC 293 against Manel Kape. The pay-per-view marks the company’s return to Australia, its first event in the country in nearly six years. The card itself is expected to be headlined by Israel Adesanya, but the middleweight champion has no challenger as of now. His next title challenger is expected to come from UFC 290’s clash between Robert Whittaker and Dricus Du Plessis.

Nonetheless, the flyweight clash that has been added to the card promises to be a thrilling one. While the former title challenger enters the matchup riding a two-fight losing streak, ‘Starboy’ is riding a wave of momentum. While he debuted with back-to-back losses in 2021, he’s since captured three straight victories.

Given the impending flyweight title bout between Brandon Moreno and Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 290, it’s safe to say the division is heating up. ‘The Assassin Baby’ and ‘The Cannaibal’ are set to co-main event the company’s return to pay-per-view next month.

What do you make of this fight announcement? Who do ya got? Kai Kara-France or Manel Kape?