“I feel Kai-Kara France is like a Mike Tyson. I’m going to fight with someone who can knock me down and that makes me pay a lot of attention to his hands.” Alexandre Pantoja may have meant it as a compliment, but Kai Kara-France wasn’t amused. Being compared to Mike Tyson, one of combat sports’ most feared knockout artists, is flattering on the surface. However, it is also a challenge. And if you know anything about Kara-France, you know he doesn’t shy away from a challenge. While he is a little flattered, ‘Don’t Blink’ is more locked in on his opponent thanks to his roots.

“Yeah, it’s an honor,” Kai said when asked about Pantoja’s statements by MMA Junkie. “But I’m the first Kai Kara-France of the flyweights.” The Tyson comparison is not lost on him, but he has no intention of following someone else’s script.

He’s here to write his own chapter, based on something deeper than strategy or strength stats. “I said it in my last fight when DC asked me where that power comes from—I just said, it’s because I’m Māori. And that’s my superpower.” It’s more than just an identity; it’s his motivation.

This link to his heritage is something he brings to every fight, and it’s no exception here. Yes, you can fight for a belt—fighting for a legacy, of course. But more than that, it’s about proving something to himself and honoring the spirit that has carried him so far.

“It anchors me,” he stated. “There is no difference in this fight. I just have a stronger connection to why I’m doing this.” And this relationship, from his perspective, leads to only one outcome: violence. “Nothing but respect to Pantoja,” Kai said. “But the way I respect you is coming for that—coming for that belt and coming for your head.”

That isn’t just talk, either. He’s looking at the statistics. He understands Pantoja has never been knocked out in the UFC. That kind of history appeals to people like ‘Don’t Blink’. “I want to be the first one to do that. That would be an unreal way to get the belt, man.” However, this will be no easy task.

Why? It is worth noting that while Pantoja feels Kai Kara-France may have Mike Tyson-like power to knock him out, he, too, will be emulating a legend to deliver a fierce counter.

Alexandre Pantoja to go all Ali against Kai Kara-France

Kai Kara-France may be coming into UFC 317 with thunder in his fists, but Alexandre Pantoja isn’t planning to stand there and trade shots like it’s a neighborhood brawl. The champion has been here before. And, while he understands Kara-France is more dangerous than ever, he’s not about to play to his strengths. If his rival enters the cage channeling Tyson, Pantoja is prepared to summon Muhammad Ali.

That isn’t just a metaphor; Pantoja said it himself. “If I see him like Mike Tyson, maybe I need to be more like Muhammad Ali. I need movement,” he said, emphasizing that this will be a mental title defense. The respect is there. He realizes Kara-France has power. He also realizes he has a chin that has stood the test of time.

But relying on the chin? Not part of the game plan. “I proved that. I don’t want to prove that a lot,” he joked, suggesting that this time he’ll use more head movement and subtlety to avoid the bombs. However, this is not a one-sided chess match. Pantoja’s last knockout was in 2019, but he’s no slouch with his hands.

But, where Kara-France is built for stand-up fights, Pantoja’s strength is in the mix—strikes, scrambles, and submissions. He will treat Kara-France with the respect that a puncher deserves, but he will do so with footwork, timing, and an approach modeled by one of boxing’s best movers.