Confusion swept across the flyweight division as fans recently noticed a strange absence on the updated UFC rankings. Just days earlier, UFC 322 reshuffled the sport’s entire landscape. Islam Makhachev dominated Jack Della Maddalena, captured the welterweight title, and reclaimed the pound-for-pound No. 1 spot. But while all eyes were on the chaos at 170 pounds, something curious unfolded at 125.

Kai Kara-France, a former title challenger, a top-10 staple, and one of New Zealand’s biggest MMA stars, was gone from the list completely. No warning. No announcement. No injury report. Just vanished. And naturally, fans wanted answers. How does a fighter who faced Alexandre Pantoja for the belt earlier this year suddenly disappear from the rankings?

Ariel Helwani pulls back the curtain on Kai Kara-France’s exit from the UFC rankings

The mystery didn’t last long. Ariel Helwani had the explanation, and it came directly from Kara-France’s own team. In a clip uploaded on X, the veteran MMA journalist broke the silence with a simple question to his co-host, P.T as he inquired, “The great Kai Kara- France removed from the rankings. P.T., did you know this?” P.T. responded honestly, “Did not know that. Very interesting.”

Helwani then pulled up the new flyweight top 10, which featured Joshua Van, Brandon Moreno, Brandon Royval, Amir Albazi, Tatsuro Taira, Manel Kape, Alex Perez, Asu Almabayev, Tim Elliott, and Steve Erceg. All familiar. All deserved. But one name was conspicuously missing. As Helwani further explained, ”Well, I did reach out to his team. And they told me that yes, it is in fact true. He is not in the rankings. And they explained why. They told me that he informed the UFC that he was taking the year off, that there were other things that he wanted to do.”

He clarified that Kai Kara-France is not retiring. But he is stepping away as he continued, “He is not retiring necessarily, but he is taking a break. He is taking at least a year off. He wants to get into some cultural things, some things that have nothing to do with fighting. He’s very spiritual.”

This wasn’t a dispute with the UFC. This wasn’t a release. This was Kai Kara-France choosing to pause the fight game entirely. As Helwani put it, “He’s obviously we’ve seen him do stuff for, you know, his for his culture, for his heritage, for his people, for his country. And he’s taken this break as a result, removed himself from the testing pool. As a result, he is out of the rankings. He is not eligible to be ranked. And so that is why he has uh not shown up on this week’s rankings for the first time. He has not been released.”

For Kai Kara-France, this break seems to carry deeper meaning than just physical recovery. Over the past years, he has become increasingly open about reconnecting with his Māori heritage. In June 2025, he told a powerful story about reclaiming his identity through his Māori name.

As he explained, “People don’t realize what you have to do to be Maori. It’s tough. You gotta fight for it. And I was ashamed of it … Your name is so special. And now I carry that name with so much pride.” This context matters. When Helwani described his current plans as “spiritual” and “cultural,” it wasn’t vague filler. It reflects a journey Kara-France has already begun publicly, a path shaped not inside the Octagon, but inside his history and community. And maybe the timing makes sense because ‘Don’t Blink’ has had a rough run recently.

‘Don’t Blink’s UFC record in his last 4 fights paints a worrying picture

The story doesn’t end with heritage and identity. It also runs through a fight record that reads like a map of highs, lows, and moments that could break even the toughest flyweight. And if you look closely, you start to understand why stepping away, even briefly, might have felt like the only move left for Kai Kara-France.

It began with that brutal interim-title fight against Brandon Moreno in July 2022, where he lost via TKO in Round 3, though the war earned him yet another Fight of the Night bonus. Then came a knee injury that pulled him from UFC 284. And when he finally returned in June 2023 against Amir Albazi, he absorbed a controversial split-decision loss. Nineteen out of twenty-one media outlets scored it for him. But in the record books? It goes down as a loss.

More setbacks followed. A concussion in August 2023 forced him out of a fight with Manel Kape. Only in August 2024 did he get a moment of relief with a first-round TKO over Steve Erceg at UFC 305, complete with a Performance of the Night bonus.

But momentum is fragile in MMA. And at UFC 317 this past June, Alexandre Pantoja reminded the division why he’s a generational talent. ‘Don’t Blink’ fought hard, but once the champ dragged him into deep waters, the rear-naked choke closed the show at 1:54 of Round 3. The real question now is what version of Kai Kara-France returns when he’s ready, the sharp counterpuncher with title aspirations, or a more grounded, more complete version of ‘Don’t Blink’ shaped by time away from the cage? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!