It’s been over four years since Alexandre Pantoja started his UFC run of a lifetime, as he now boasts an impressive 7-fight winning streak. The Brazilian native even earned the flyweight title while building up that winning streak and has showcased his dominance in his title defenses. Now, Kai Kara-France has a chance to fulfil his dream at UFC 317, but combat sports journalist Luke Thomas believes that the win won’t come easily.

Luke Thomas says he has overestimated Alexandre Pantoja’s toughness more times than he can count. Even though “The Cannibal” has to deal with challenging situations during a battle, the veteran journalist was amazed by how he handled them and won. So, Thomas isn’t sure how Kai Kara-France would get ready to fight someone like Pantoja.

“I’m really not sure [what game plan Kara-France should use], dude. I have left Pantoja on the other side of the proverbial road more times than I can count,” Luke Thomas told ‘Submission Radio’. “He’s like that roadkill that just survives. It’s unbelievable, dude. And he’s exciting, and that fight against Kai Asakura, he just ran over him like it was nothing.”

Claiming that Alexandre Pantoja is “getting better” with every fight, Luke Thomas drew a comparison between the flyweight champion and the bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili. He believes that, much like ‘The Machine’, Pantoja is also someone who often gets overlooked. Nevertheless, the veteran reporter still believes that there is a chance for Kai Kra-France to win, and that will only happen if he can use his striking to perfection. That’s because ‘The Cannibal’s ground game could overwhelm the New Zealand star.

“But I like Kai Kara-France’s chances here. It’s a tough fight, man. Especially with the grappling, especially with the back control, and dude, just the aggressiveness with which he goes for it,” Thomas added. “Obviously, Kai Kara-France, highly experienced and a much better pure striker. It just seems like he’s really got to win on those terms. If Pantoja is able to take it to the ground, or force KKF into hurried exchanges… that’s gonna be a long night for him.”

It seems like Alexandre Pantoja agrees with Luke Thomas’s appraisal of Kai Kara-France’s striking ability. And do you know what? The flyweight champion said in a recent interview that he knows how dangerous “Don’t Blink” is. Pantoja said the following.

Kai Kara-France has Alexandre Pantoja’s attention

Kai Kara-France, in his UFC run, has knocked out 3 fighters in emphatic fashion in the very first round of those fights. Alexandre Pantoja has probably seen those fights, as he recently mentioned the need for him to be cautious around ‘Don’t Blink’ when he’s inside the Octagon with him to not get knocked out. However, Pantoja has all the faith in his chin to take those hits, and he’s even worked on avoiding knockouts as he promises to prove to the world that he’s better than Kara-France.

“He can knock you out with one punch. I need to pay attention to that. If I see him like Mike Tyson, maybe I need to be more like Muhammad Ali. I need movement. But if he tries to hit me, I have a very good chin. I’ve proved that many times. I don’t want to prove that a lot,” Alexandre Pantoja told ‘MMA Junkie’. “I want to move my head more. That’s something I’ve really worked on. But I have strong hands, too, and that’s going to be an amazing opportunity to prove to everyone that I have strong hands.”

The clock is ticking, and it’s now International Fight Week. We will know in just a few days if there will be a new champion in the flyweight division. So, who do you think will win, Kai Kara-France or Alexandre Pantoja? Leave your comments below.