Adesanya inspires Kiwi UFC fighter

Kiwi flyweight contender Kai KaraFrance says watching Israel Adesanya overcome his nemesis Alex Pereira last month has given him fresh motivation as he prepares to headline a UFC card in Nevada this weekend.

Kara-France’s City Kickboxing teammate Adesanya knocked out Pereira in the second round at UFC 287 in Miami to recapture the middleweight crown he had relinquished to the Brazilian six months earlier.

The 30-year-old had been cageside in New York when Adesanya (24-2) lost his title – his third loss from three meetings with Pereira – and said the mental fortitude he had shown to gain revenge was ‘‘amazing’’, describing it as ‘‘one of the biggest moments in our generation for combat sport’’.

‘‘We’ve had so many great fights happen in the last few months, so I’ve just taken inspiration from that,’’ KaraFrance (24-10, 1 NC) told Submission Radio ahead of his clash with Iraqi Amir Albazi (16-1) in the main event of UFC Fight Night at the UFC Apex on Sunday.

‘‘Izzy going out there and shocking the world . . . one of the biggest moments in our generation for combat sport, knocking out Alex Pereira and the way he did, you couldn’t write a better script.

‘‘And I take away so much from that just because the mental focus and the kind of character Izzy has is just amazing. Never once did he say ‘I can’t beat this guy’. And in his head, he’s always known that ‘I can get it back’.

‘‘And that’s what I love to see. I love to see that confidence, where when everyone else is doubting you, you go in there and you get it done.

‘‘And yeah, that’s why it was so shocking, just the way he did it and how he pumped himself up. And I took a lot away from that fight.’’

Of course, Kara-France can relate better than anyone to Adesanya’s struggles with Pereira – ‘The Last Stylebender’ also dropped two kickboxing bouts to Poatan before that stoppage loss in the octagon – having suffered two defeats of his own to Brandon Moreno during his UFC career.

Kara-France was halted by Moreno in his most recent outing last July when the UFC interim flyweight title was at stake. He also lost on points to the rugged Mexican in 2019. He would love a third opportunity to set the record straight, but first he must deal with dangerous Alazi, who has won all four of his bouts under the UFC banner, including three inside the distance.

Despite his impressive-looking record, Kara-France is adamant that Alazi is in over his head and he doesn’t expect the contest to last longer than three rounds.

‘‘I’m looking forward to it. I see myself knocking this guy out. First, second or third. I don’t see this going five rounds,’’ Kara-France confidently predicted.