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Alexandre Pantoja squares up with next challenger after impressive UFC 317 win

"The Cannibal" extended his dominant run as UFC champion.
Drew Beaupre|
(Zuffa LLC)

Kai Kara-France got his first shot at undisputed UFC gold when he challenged Alexandre Pantoja in the co-main event of UFC 317.

A longtime veteran of the UFC that joined the promotion after competing on The Ultimate Fighter 24, Pantoja won the flyweight belt from Brandon Moreno at UFC 290 and went on to defend it against Brandon Royval, Steve Erceg, and Kai Asakura.

Kara-France came up short in an interim title bid against Moreno at UFC 277 before he dropped a split decision to Amir Albazi, but a first-round finish of former title challenger Erceg was enoug to earn "Don't Blink" a fight with Pantoja at UFC 317.

READ MORE: UFC 317 Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira free live stream results & highlights

Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Kara-France.
Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Kara-France. | (Zuffa LLC)

Pantoja Submits Kara-France In Las Vegas

The title bout between Kara-France and Pantoja was actually a rematch of their 2016 meeting on TUF, which saw Pantoja advance to the Season 24 finals with a unanimous decision victory.

Pantoja showed little fear for Kara-France's striking once the fight started, but it quickly became apparent that the Brazilian's aggression was meant as a tool to close the distance when he secured an early takedown and took the challenger's back.

Kara-France managed to get the champion off of his back but failed to get back to his feet before the first round ended, and after the pair traded strikes during the opening two minutes of the second round Pantoja brought things to the mat once again.

READ MORE: UFC 317 fighter lands hammerfist from hell on lifeless opponent

"Don't Blink" fought back to his feet in the second but found himself tied up against the fence to start the third round. Pantoja quickly moved to the back once again, and while Kara-France tried to fight off a rear naked choke the challenger was eventually forced to tap out.

The win extended Pantoja's winning streak to nine fights, and "The Cannibal" faced off with Joshua Van in the cage following the latter fighter's win over Royval on the UFC 317 main card,

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Drew Beaupre
DREW BEAUPRE

Drew is an MMA writer that regularly watches regional events in addition to major promotions such as the UFC, PFL, Bellator, and ONE Championship. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023.

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