Kai Kara-France (22-9) and Cody Garbrandt (12-4) will battle one another at UFC 269 in Las Vegas this weekend. The fight is scheduled for Saturday, December 11th, at the T-Mobile Arena.
Garbrandt is a former bantamweight champion who is making his debut in the flyweight class. He is confident that he will dominate on Saturday despite entering new territory. Garbrandt has been vocal about his motivation to win in this new division.
However, Kai Kara-France will not roll over easily. He is an experienced fighter who will give Garbrandt all that he can take.
This is one of the more intriguing fights leading into Saturday, and I am extremely excited to see what happens. Let’s take a look at the fight preview.
Kara-France vs. Garbrandt Betting Analysis
On the Kara-France side
Kai-Kara France will be more than prepared for Saturday. Kara-France is coming off of a victory against Bontorin in his last match and has plenty of momentum moving forward.
The 28-year-old has 22 wins and is one of the more intelligent fighters in the UFC. He plays the technical game well and tends to draw opponents to the outside and then attack with a number of different moves.
He trains at City Kickboxing and is known for his long-distance kicks. Kara-France has totaled ten wins via knockout, three wins by submission, and nine by decision. He has 40 percent striking accuracy and 23 percent grappling accuracy.
His average fight time is 12:15. He, realistically, should have the advantage since his opponent is dropping weight classes and entering new territory in the flyweight division. Expect plenty of counters at the beginning of the fight, and then look for Kara-France to increase his aggressiveness as the fight goes on.
On the Garbrandt side
Cody Garbrandt is dropping weight and is a stranger to the flyweight division as a fighter. How will he hold up?
He was once known for his elite speed and quickness, but that could be difficult to replicate in this new class.
Garbrandt is also fresh off a loss against Font, where he was defeated via decision.
He has accumulated 38 percent striking accuracy and 32 percent grappling accuracy. Additionally, the 30-year-old has totaled ten wins via knockout two by decision. Garbrandt has an average fight time of 10:25.
The biggest question is, how will Garbrandt attack this fight in the early rounds? Will he attempt to preserve his gas tank, or will he go for the knockout blow in the first or second round. Either way, expect a hard-fought match from Garbrandt as he looks to re-establish himself as a winning fighter.
Kara-France at Garbrandt MMA Prediction
Top sportsbook odds are predicting a victory for Cody Garbrandt on Saturday. Despite Kara-France’s experience, they like the former champion’s odds of emerging victorious in Vegas.
I believe this will be one of the most competitive fights scheduled for Saturday. It will be evenly matched with two guys who will leave everything they have in the ring.
But in the end, I am rolling with Cody Garbrandt to win in his flyweight debut.
Take Cody Garbrandt -130 with your betting pick.