Kai Kara France-Alex Perez Flyweight Duel Set for UFC 284 in Perth

A place in the top five of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s flyweight division almost certainly hinges on this bout’s outcome.

Per MMA Junkie on Wednesday evening, Kai Kara France (24-10, 1 NC) will battle it out with Alex Perez (24-7) in a pivotal 125-pound tilt on Feb. 11. The two flyweights will compete in Perth, Australia, at UFC 284, and it is unclear if this contest will serve on the main card or if it will bolster the prelims. The bout has since been confirmed on Thursday by Perez’ management team of the Iridium Sports Agency.

Kara France last competed in July, where he succumbed to strikes from Brandon Moreno in their interim title fight. Before then, the Aussie had rattled off three wins over Rogerio Bontorin, Cody Garbrandt and Askar Askarov – knocking out the first two in the opening round. Since joining the roster in 2018, the only men to beat Kara France are named Brandon: Moreno, and Brandon Royval. The five post-fight bonuses picked up by “Don’t Blink” sit him in third place with the most in divisional history.

Ex-title challenger Perez has not had his hand raised in over two years, with a pair of first-round submission defeats to Deiveson Figueiredo and Alexandre Pantoja leading up to this encounter. Prior to the finishes, Perez had also earned three straight wins, topping Mark De La Rosa on the scorecards in 2019 before putting Jordan Espinosa to sleep and stopping Jussier Formiga with a brutal leg kick in 2020. Of all the fighters to ever compete in the flyweight division – with at least five appearances under their belt – Perez averages the shortest fight time of any, with a mean cage time of 4:45 after nine trips to the Octagon.

UFC 284 will post up inside the RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia, Australia, on Feb. 11. The event will be capped off by a pair of championship fights, with the main attraction a veritable superfight between lightweight king Islam Makhachev and 145-pound titleholder Alexander Volkanovski with the former's gold on the line. The interim featherweight strap will also be up for grabs that night, when Josh Emmett and Yair Rodriguez vie for a formal opportunity to face Volkanovski when he returns to the division. Other key pairings on the billing include a middleweight thriller between Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa and a light heavyweight battle as Jimmy Crute takes on Alonzo Menifield.