Yesterday was Christmas but there was some UFC news that came out. Some pretty big news as we learned of a title eliminator that’s being booked in the flyweight division.
MMA Junkie first reported yesterday that the UFC was finalizing a matchup between Askar Askarov (14-0-1) and Kai Kara-France (23-9). The matchup will take place on March 26th at a UFC Fight Night that is scheduled to take place at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
After UFC 269, Kara-France wanted a title shot. He knocked out Cody Garbrandt in the first round in Garbrandt’s first fight in the flyweight division. The standout performance put a lot of respect on Kara-France’s name.
However, that was only his second win in a row. Overall, he’s just 3-2 in his last five and the UFC didn’t think he was quite ready for a title shot. However, they were comfortable booking him in a title eliminator.
UFC Title Eliminator
Kara-France now gets to take on the man who many think could be the best flyweight in the UFC. That man is the Dagestani flyweight Askar Askarov. Askarov made his UFC debut back in 2019 and he’s been nearly perfect since.
In his debut, he took on current flyweight champion Brandon Moreno. In that fight, the two fought to a very close draw. After that draw, it’s been three straight wins for Askarov in the UFC.
Those three wins came against Tim Elliot, Alexandre Pantoja, and Joseph Benavidez. In the Benavidez fight, Askarov really showed off his dynamic striking. He was able to hurt Benavidez a number of times with long straight shots.
Askarov is incredibly well-rounded and he definitely looks like someone who can become a UFC champion. If he’s able to defeat Kara-France in March, there’s no question that he would be next for the flyweight title.
In January, Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo will be fighting for the third time. Whoever wins that fight will closely be watching this fight with Kara-France and Askarov.