Askar Askarov vs Kai Kara-France: No need to worry about Askar

On March 27, another UFC tournament will take place in Columbus, USA. In one of the main card fights, Russian fighter Askar Askarov will share the cage with a representative of New Zealand Kai Kara-France.

The fight will take place at the lightweight level. Askarov is ranked second in the UFC rankings of his division, while Kai Kara-France is ranked sixth. The Russian fighter is the favorite in bookmakers’ quotations.

Askarov has not lost a single fight in his career, with Brandon Moreno (the recent champion fought to a draw), and he has yet to get a title shot. And for the foreseeable future he still won’t get one, because Dana White is already talking about making a fourth (!) fight between Moreno and Figueiredo.

In his last fight, Askar Askarov won by a unanimous decision over Joseph Benavidez, leaving him no chance to win. He smashed the American in the distance, tortured him in the clinch, bullied him on the ground and it is a pity he could not finish.

Askarov is approaching his next fight without a single defeat in his career, but he’s not showing a cap-in-hand attitude. He is cautious, but is looking forward to a title fight.

Kai Kara-France is a very tough opponent with a very good punch. But I’ve fought top fighters in the division before, so I’m not used to it. I’ll just go into the cage and work in my style. And I know I can finish this fight early. I think the upcoming fourth fight between Brandon Moreno and Figueiredo will be their last meeting. And I think the winner of our fight with Kara-France will be the next title challenger.

Askar Askarov

The New Zealander fighter has been somewhere near the top for quite some time, and is now on a streak of two straight wins. In his last fight, he appears to have ended Cody Garbrandt’s career by knocking him out in the first round.

Kai-Kara loves to knock people out - out of 23 wins on his record. He has eleven wins by knockout, and only three by submission.

I’m facing a tough opponent, but I’m excited about that. I want to see the best version of Askar Askarov. I want him to put me down. I want him to keep me on the ground. And when I neutralise all his attempts, get to my feet and unleash my punches on him, we’ll see if he holds out. Few people do that.

Kai Kara-France

Just a couple of years ago, you could say that we would see a classic fighter vs striker confrontation. But Askarov has really stepped up his punching game in the meantime, while Kai Kara-France is still a pure puncher. And it’s an absolute utopia that he’ll survive the fight on the ground when it happens. It is simply vital that the New Zealander avoids parterre throughout the fight!

The one-timer of Israel Adesanya is very dangerous on the counter, but Askar Askarov’s wrestling is on a different level. Askar will dominate the fight and win by a unanimous decision from the judges, keep his status as the number one contender and possibly insure the title fight.

Diana Avsaragova

Bookmakers are also not being coy and see the Russian fighter as simply a huge favourite. The odds are 1.20 for him to win, while the odds on the New Zealander are already 4.50.

TelecomAsia Sport is looking for MMA tipsters. Contact jobs@telecomasia.net for more information.