Report: Ashkan Mokhtarian Out, Replaced by Elias Garcia Against Kai Kara-France
BREAKING: With Ashkan Mokhtarian out, Elias Garcia (@FightViolent) steps in to face Kara-France (@kaikarafrance) at #UFCAdelaide https://t.co/s4eEWnX36i
— Nolan King (@mma_kings) November 23, 2018
A bit over a week before the Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Adelaide, Australia, UFC Fight Night 142 has experienced an opponent change for Kai Kara-France, who will instead be facing Elias Garcia.
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Mokhtarian was set to appear on the card along with his brother Suman Mokhtarian, where they would have become only the seventh brother tandem to fight on the same card together. Coming off back-to-back losses to John Moraga and Ryan Benoit, all of his 16 career bouts have taken place either in Australia, New Zealand or China.
Taking this fight on short notice is Garcia, who earned a contract in 2018 after knocking out Adam Antolin in the first episode of Season 3 of “Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight.” The cousin of UFC brothers Anthony and Sergio Pettis, the team Roufusport member made his unsuccessful debut when he was tapped out by Mark De La Rosa in July.
Kara-France will be making his UFC debut after competing on “The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions,” where he represented Bragging Rights Fight Series in Australia. Unsigned after the season aired, Kara-France competed in Rizin Fighting Federation where he gained the unfortunate distinction of being one of only three fighters to ever miss weight in the promotion, which earned him a red card to start the bout he lost by decision. Following that loss, he reeled off five wins including three finishes to earn a place on the UFC roster.
UFC Fight Night 142 will take place Dec. 1 and will be headlined by a heavyweight matchup between Junior dos Santos and Aussie Tai Tuivasa.
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