UFC fighter Kai Kara-France has withdrawn from his upcoming UFC 293 match against Manel Kape due to a training concussion, disappointing fans and resulting in his opponent potentially facing a new adversary.
UFC 293 has experienced a significant setback after Kai Kara-France announced that he must withdraw from his scheduled fight against Manel Kape. The match was set to occur on the main card from Sydney, Australia on Sept. 9. However, the New Zealand native explained in an Instagram post that he had suffered a concussion during training that ultimately resulted in the decision to forgo the fight.
“So unfortunately, I’ve had to withdraw from my next fight in Sydney, Australia, UFC 293,” said Kara-France. “I suffered a concussion over the weekend in training. I’ve been speaking to my coaches, my team and my family, and they all think it’s the right decision to put my health first.” He then expressed his apologies to the friends, families, and fans who had already bought tickets, flights, accommodations, and were excited to witness the fight live. The news was very disheartening to him as well, evident when he said, “I’m gutted that I won’t be a part of this card.”
Prior to this, Kara-France was aiming to regain momentum after consecutive defeats in his two latest UFC appearances. He was unsuccessful in his attempt to become the interim flyweight champion when he lost to Brandon Moreno by TKO, followed by a contested split decision loss to Amir Albazi back in June. With the concussion restricting him from participating in September, he will be compelled to postpone his comeback in the octagon to a future date.
This also adds to the accumulating challenges faced by Kape, who has had numerous changes in opponents over the past year in his pursuit to advance in the flyweight rankings. Since his victory against David Dvorak this past December, Kape had been scheduled to fight against former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo, one-time title contender Alex Perez, and now Kara-France, with all three opponents withdrawing prior to the bout. Whether Kape will continue on the UFC 293 card against a new adversary or reschedule for a later date remains uncertain. The main event of UFC 293, however, will feature reigning middleweight champion Israel Adesanya defending his title against Sean Strickland, and heavyweights Tai Tuivasa and Alexander Volkov competing in the co-main event.