Two Kiwi fighters have been announced for the UFC 293 blockbuster in Sydney on September 10, with City Kickboxing duo Kai Kara-France and Mike ‘Blood’ Diamond set to step into the Octagon.
Kara-France takes on the 18-6 Manel Kape in a three rounder.
Kape is 3-2 in the UFC but is on a three-fight win streak and is ranked eighth in the flyweight division.
His most recent win was a unanimous decision victory over David Dvorak in December.
Kara-France is looking to bounce back from consecutive losses, most recently dropping a disputed split decision to Amir Albazi in June.
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Prior to that, the 30-year-old was stopped by Brandon Moreno in an interim flyweight title fight at UFC 277 in 2022.
The popular New Zealander has been working as a wrestling coach with the resurgent Warriors this season.
Kara-France’s teammate ‘Blood’ Diamond faces American Charlie ‘Chuck Buffalo’ Radtke in a three-round welterweight clash.
One of the most exciting fighters coming out of New Zealand, Diamond has suffered two defeats in his two UFC bouts to date and is looking to notch up his first win against promotional newcomer Radtke.
The Auckland-based pair join Tai Tuivasa as confirmed bouts on the UFC first fight card in Sydney since 2017.
Tuivasa is looking to snap a two-fight losing streak when he takes on Alexander Volkov. ‘Bam Bam’ was most recently stopped inside one round by Sergei Pavlovich in December, following his Fight of the Night effort against Cyril Gane.
The clash is a pivotal one in the heavyweight division, with Tuivasa ranked sixth and Volkov seventh.
More bouts are expected to be announced over the coming weeks, with Israel Adesanya expected to headline in a middleweight title defence against Dricus du Plessis, who just beat Robert Whittaker.
Justin Tafa and Carlos Ulberg are both rumoured to be on the card as well, with an all-international co-main event.