UFC - UFC n°317
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by Devesh Jaganath | in UFC Predictions
UFC 317 will come to us live from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas this weekend, with the co-main event seeing Alex Pantoja attempt to defend the flyweight title against Kai Kara-France. The Cannibal has a pro record of 29-5-0, while Don’t Blink is 35-10-0 1NC. Let’s get into the match prediction.
Alexandre Pantoja has cemented his reputation as the flyweight kingpin and is set to step back inside the Octagon following a second-round submission victory over Kai Asakura in December.
That victory marked the Cannibal’s third title defence in a row since beating Brandon Moreno at UFC 290, and it extended his win streak in the UFC to seven fights, dating back to July 2020.
The last time Pantoja lost was to Askar Askarov in what many considered a questionable decision outcome. His average fight lasts 12:39, while he lands 4.41 significant strikes per minute at a 50% accuracy.
Meanwhile, Kai Kara-France will be returning to the ring for the first time since scoring a KO/TKO victory over Steve Ecreg at UFC 305 back in August last year.
However, that win followed back-to-back defeats. He has lost four of his last nine fights, including to Brandon Moreno and Brandon Royval, both of whom Pantoja has beaten.
Don’t Blink has a two-inch reach advantage in this bout despite being an inch shorter than his opponent. He lands 4.56 significant strikes per minute, but with a lower accuracy than Pantoja at 39%.
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Alex Pantoja - Kai Kara-France Key Points
- Alex Pantoja is on a seven-match win streak.
- Alex Pantoja’s last three stoppage wins came via submission.
- Kai Kara-France has lost two of his last three fights.
- Kai Kara-France has lost by submission three times in his career.
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Our Alex Pantoja vs Kai Kara-France Prediction
While Kai Kara-France has been one of the most consistent fighters over the years, there is a genuine case to be made that he would not have been handed this opportunity if the flyweight division had more title-worthy contenders.
Indeed, he does have the ability and strength to find a knockout, but Pantoja has mastered facing dangerous strikers in recent years, and if he gets a takedown here, we feel he will end the match on the mat. Our Alex Pantoja vs Kai Kara-France prediction is Alexandre Pantoja wins the match.
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