Tag: Askar Askarov

Askar Askarov vs. Kai Kara-France Booked For March 26 Fight Night

Askar Askarov and Kai Kara-France are set to meet in March in what may very well be a flyweight title eliminator.

As initially reported by MMA Junkie, the two flyweights have verbally agreed to compete at a UFC Fight Night on March 26. This event w…

Kai Kara-France, Askar Askarov

Askar Askarov and Kai Kara-France are set to meet in March in what may very well be a flyweight title eliminator.

As initially reported by MMA Junkie, the two flyweights have verbally agreed to compete at a UFC Fight Night on March 26. This event will be headlined by former light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz taking on Aleksandar Raki?. The venue for the event is not yet known.

When Kai Kara-France pulled off the upset victory at UFC 269 over former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt, the 28-year-old New Zealender had short-term aspirations of gold on his mind. Kara-France first-round TKO of “No Love” made for his second consecutive victory after having defeated Rogério Bontorin at UFC 259 in what was another Performance of the Night-winning KO.

UFC 269 results: Kai Kara-France spoils Cody Garbrandt's flyweight debut with massive TKO win - CBSSports.com
Image Credit: Jeff Bottari

If those two performances didn’t earn Kara-France the right to be considered “Flyweight of the Year,” then a victory over the undefeated Askarov followed by a title win would all but guarantee him that recognition in 2022.

As his flawless record indicates, defeating Askar Askarov has proven to be no easy feat, however. The Russian remains undefeated at 14-0-1, with the draw coming to the reigning champion himself, Brandon Moreno, in 2019.

Since then, the #2-ranked Askarov has gone on to defeat Tim Elliott, Alexandre Pantoja, and the legendary Joseph Benavidez. Askarov lobbied for this fight when the #6-ranked Kara-France wanted to “skip the line” so to speak, and his Christmas wish has been granted by the UFC powers that be.

The flyweight title picture will have more clarity after the trilogy title fight between Brandon Moreno(c) and Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 270 next month.

With the addition of this potential flyweight title eliminator, here is the current lineup for the March 26 Fight Night card:

Jan Blachowicz vs. Aleksandar Raki?

Askar Askarov vs. Kai Kara-France

Amanda Ribas vs. Michelle Waterson

Sara McMann vs. Karol Rosa

Tucker Lutz vs. Seungwoo Choi

What is your prediction for this flyweight bout? Will Askar Askarov or Kai Kara-France bring themselves within point-blank range of a flyweight title shot?

Continue Reading Askar Askarov vs. Kai Kara-France Booked For March 26 Fight Night at MMA News.

Askarov Calls On Adesanya To Convince “Son” Kara-France To Fight Him

Askar Askarov is calling for a fight with Kai Kara-France.

Fresh off his UFC 269 victory, Kai Kara-France is flying high in the UFC flyweight division. He just knocked out former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt and is now looking for a sho…

Askar askarov Kai Kara-France Israel Adesanya

Askar Askarov is calling for a fight with Kai Kara-France.

Fresh off his UFC 269 victory, Kai Kara-France is flying high in the UFC flyweight division. He just knocked out former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt and is now looking for a shot at the title. However, while Kara-France has title aspirations, there is someone else who would like to take a shot at him, and that man is Askar Askarov.

Askarov took to Twitter on Wednesday to make a call out to Kara-France. However, the way that Askarov took his shot was to target middleweight champion and Kara-France’s friend, Israel Adesanya. Now, he is asking Adesanya to get him a shot at Kara-France.

“@stylebender give your son some encouragement you’re a great champion show him how is done if he can beat me no one can deny him,” Askarov wrote. “@kaikarafrance don’t be chicken.”

Askarov is currently ranked #2 in the flyweight division. He came into the UFC back in 2019 when he had a split-decision draw with now-champion Brandon Moreno. Since that fight, he has won three in a row and could be on the shortlist of possible title contenders.

Following his big win at UFC 269, Kara-France is only looking at the title. He wants an immediate shot at Moreno and could be willing to sit out until he gets it. Before appealing to Adesanya for his assistance, Askarov tried to entice Kara-France into a fight directly.

“@kaikarafrance I want to give you a chance to fight contender fight I am number 2 you are number 6 let’s see if anybody from your country can beat anyone from Dagestan we all know what happened last time,” Askarov wrote.

It is yet to be seen if this method of matchmaking on the part of Askarov will work. At this time, Kara-France and his team have not responded. However, this fight makes sense for both and could be a possible Fight of the Night contender.

Do you want to see Askar Askarov take on Kai Kara-France?

Continue Reading Askarov Calls On Adesanya To Convince “Son” Kara-France To Fight Him at MMA News.

Askar Askarov Talks Benavidez Win and Calls For Title Shot After UFC 259

Following an emphatic unanimous decision victory over veteran Joseph Benevidez, unbeaten Askar Askarov is lobbying for the next flyweight title shot. At UFC 259 inside the UFC Apex facility, Askarov put on a dominant performance over divisional mainsta…

Following an emphatic unanimous decision victory over veteran Joseph Benevidez, unbeaten Askar Askarov is lobbying for the next flyweight title shot. At UFC 259 inside the UFC Apex facility, Askarov put on a dominant performance over divisional mainstay Joseph Benavidez. The bout did not lack action as the two flyweights swung for the fences for […]

Joseph Benavidez vs. Askar Askarov Set for UFC 259

Joseph Benavidez will be back in action at UFC 259 when he takes on another top flyweight contender in Askar Askarov. Joseph Benavidez has been within reach of championship gold on four different occasions in the UFC, and each time he has come up short…

Joseph Benavidez will be back in action at UFC 259 when he takes on another top flyweight contender in Askar Askarov. Joseph Benavidez has been within reach of championship gold on four different occasions in the UFC, and each time he has come up short. Even prior to joining the UFC while still competing in […]

The post Joseph Benavidez vs. Askar Askarov Set for UFC 259 appeared first on MMA News.

Joseph Benavidez vs. Askar Askarov Targeted For UFC 259

BenavidezA flyweight bout between former title challenger Joseph Benavidez and Askar Askarov is in the works for March. That’s according to multiple reports following an initial report from Russian journalist Igor Lazonin stating it would take place at the UFC 259 pay-per-view event scheduled for March 6. There is no location or venue for the […]

Benavidez

A flyweight bout between former title challenger Joseph Benavidez and Askar Askarov is in the works for March.

That’s according to multiple reports following an initial report from Russian journalist Igor Lazonin stating it would take place at the UFC 259 pay-per-view event scheduled for March 6. There is no location or venue for the event as of now.

Benavidez will be looking to bounce back after suffering two consecutive defeats to current flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo. He would get knocked out by the Brazilian in their first meeting back in February.

Their second meeting in July saw Benavidez suffer three knockdowns en route to getting submitted in the first round by Figueredo.

As for Askarov, he will be looking to earn the biggest win of his career against Benavidez. The Dagestan native is on a two-fight winning streak following unanimous decision victories over Tim Elliot and Alexandre Pantoja.

A win over a longtime veteran and contender in Benavidez could see him enter title contention next.

The date is also ideal as while Figueiredo is set to defend his title against Brandon Moreno at UFC 256 on December 12, Garbrandt has called for a fight with the former on March 6.

If that were to get booked, should anything happen to either fighter, one of Benavidez or Askarov could step in.

What do you think of this matchup?