5 Things You Might Not Know About Kai Kara France

His knocks on the door grow louder by the day.

Kai Kara France will attempt the check another Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight box when he locks horns with the unbeaten Askar Askarov in a three-round UFC on ESPN 33 showcase this Saturday at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The surging 28-year-old contender steps into the cage on the heels of back-to-back victories. France last fought at UFC 269, where he brought down former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt with punches in the first round of their Dec. 11 confrontation. He has delivered more than half (14) of his 23 career victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission.

As France approaches his pivotal showdown with Askarov at 125 pounds, here are five things you might not know about him:

1. He chose the deep-end-of-the-pool approach.

France made his professional mixed martial arts debut at the age of 17 when he put away Ray Kaitiana with punches in the first round of their Supremacy Cage Fighting 7 pairing on Nov. 27, 2010. He went on to compete five times as a teenager, compiling a 3-2 record in those bouts.

2. He got in touch with reality.

The Auckland, New Zealand, native reached the quarterfinals on Season 24 of “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2016. France authored a 30-second knockout of Terrence Mitchell before being eliminated in a unanimous decision loss to former Resurrection Fighting Alliance champion Alexandre Pantoja.

3. No one can question the quality of his inner circle.

France operates out of the famed City Kickboxing camp in his native New Zealand, where he trains under Eugene Bareman and sharpens his skills alongside a number of notable peers. They include Dan Hooker, Brad Riddell and reigning UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.

4. Durability has become a selling point.

“The Ultimate Fighter 24” quarterfinalist’s chin has served him well in his rise through the sport. He has not been knocked out since he was victimized by Agustin Delarmino in the third round of their encounter under the Legend Fighting Championship banner on March 30, 2012—3,648 days ago.

5. He has likely cured his wanderlust.

France has fought in 11 different countries: New Zealand, China, Malaysia, Taiwan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Australia, Thailand, Japan, the United States and the United Arab Emirates. He has also taken two fights in Guam, some 4,000 miles north of his hometown.