UFC 259 video: Kai Kara-France faceplants Rogerio Bontorin for ‘Mark Hunt walkaway vintage’ knockout
Kai Kara France had a bad start to his fight at UFC 259 but he still delivered an emphatic finish.
After spending most of the opening round with Rogerio Bontorin on his back looking for chokes, Kara-France powered back with a pair of devastating right hands that ultimately put the Brazilian face first on the canvas for the walk off knockout. The end came at 4:55 into the first round after referee Herb Dean stopped the fight.
“I was caught early. Weathered the storm, got back up. I just had to stay calm,” Kara-France said about his win. “We’ve been putting in the work and I just had to stay calm.
“I just turned it around, hit him one with a nice right hook. I felt it landed, I just need connection. Mark Hunt walkaway, vintage.”
WHAT IS HAPPENING!?
— UFC (@ufc) March 7, 2021
@KaiKaraFrance just delivered with one heck of a comeback!
[ LIVE on @UFCFightPass, ESPN2, #ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/Gn2zS6f2Ap
Prior to the finish, Kara-France was playing defense after he ended up on the ground with Bontorin attached to his back, constantly finishing for submissions.
Bontorin was constantly attacking while fighting off Kara-France’s hands as he attempted to lock in the rear-naked choke. At one point, Kara-France managed to stand up and that almost gave Bontorin the opening to finish the fight.
Somehow, Kara-France resisted, escaped the position and then began unleashing bombs on the feet once he got back into striking range. After connected with a huge right hand, Kara-France followed with one more that saw Bontorin crash face first into the canvas.
Kara-France walked away thinking the fight was over but Dean didn’t actually stop it quite yet and the confusion led to another punch almost being landed. A frustrated Bontorin then leapt to his feet and threw his mouthpiece at Kara-France thinking he was going for an extra shot but really it was just the confusion about the timing of the stoppage.
Either way, Kara-France capped off his night with a highlight reel knockout as he evens his record at 2-2 in his past four fights while looking to set the stage for his teammate Israel Adesanya, who competes in the main event on Saturday night.