Kai Kara-France vs. Alex Perez set for UFC 284
Flyweights Kai Kara-France and Alex Perez look to get back into title contention when the UFC returns to Australia in February.
Multiple people with knowledge of the promotion’s plans confirmed to MMA Fighting that Kara-France and Perez will compete at UFC 284, which takes place at RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia (due to the time difference, the pay-per-view card will air stateside on Feb. 11). MMA Junkie was first to report the bout.
After winning three straight bouts, Kara-France got the opportunity to fight Brandon Moreno for the interim flyweight title at UFC 277 this past July, where he was finished in the third round. The No. 5-ranked fighter in MMA Fighting’s Global Rankings will look to get back to his winning ways, which includes a decision win over Askar Askarov, and first-round finishes of Cody Garbrandt and Rogerio Bontorin.
Perez was also on the wrong end of things at UFC 277, as he was submitted in 91 seconds by Alexandre Pantoja in the one-time title challenger’s first octagon appearance since losing his championship bout to Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 255 in November 2020. The No. 9 ranked fighter in MMA Fighting’s Global Rankings aims to avoid his third straight loss, which would be the longest of his career.
UFC 284 is headlined by a lightweight title bout between Islam Makhachev and current featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski.