Kai Kara-France back tattoo: meaning and story behind the UFC star’s body ink

Kai Kara France has always been a fighter. The UFC flyweight star is one of the best flyweights in the world despite his small size. The New Zealander began his martial arts career out of necessity. Bullied by his schoolmates because of his size, the Auckland native began learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at the age of eight to protect himself against them.

In 2016, he was called up to “The Ultimate Fighter” and was promised a UFC contract if he impressed on the promotion's reality TV show. However, Kara-France was eliminated in the quarterfinals and his UFC dreams seemed to be shattered. Kara-France has always been a fighter and did not give up. He won five fights in a row on the local New Zealand MMA circuit and secured a UFC contract in 2018. His fighting spirit is also represented by the only tattoo on his body.

What does Kai Kara-France's back tattoo mean? Does it have a Maori connection?

Kai Kara-France is a New Zealand citizen, born and raised in the country's picturesque capital, Auckland. Like many of his countrymen, the UFC flyweight has Maori ancestry. Nowhere is this more evident than in the only tattoo on his body.

Since ancient times, tattoos have been an incredibly important part of Pacific Islanders' culture and lives. Why? Well, in ancient times, tattoos represented a person's life and journey, they were a visual representation of everything they were and had been through. Although the meaning of tattoos has changed over time, they remain central to their cultures.

Kara-Frances Highlight is his impressive and striking back tattoo. Done entirely in black, it is a beautiful, symmetrical tribal piece that starts from his neck and extends to his lower back. His back tattoo is clearly inspired by his heritage and represents the journey he has taken in his life, according to the caption of an Instagram post in which he revealed the tattoo. “The things we have done in the past will become our future.” Now let’s take a closer look at his heritage and lineage.

Kai Kara-France's deep connection with Maori culture

Just like his life story and his path to becoming a fighter, “Don't Blink” has a very interesting and fascinating lineage. The blood of some of the numerous tribes and nations of the Pacific Islands flows in him. As already mentioned, Kara-France has Maori ancestors. But only partially. The Kiwi can proudly count members of the Waikato, Ngati Tūwharetoa, Ngati Kahungunu and Tuhoe peoples among his ancestors.

The Auckland-based fighter's cultural heritage plays such an important role in his life that when he's not fighting or in training camp for a fight, he travels to scenic Tahiti to train other Pacific Island fighters. But even there, more than four thousand kilometers from his birthplace, he has distant relatives.

One of the most significant and moving experiences in the Kiwi's life was when he met an old woman in a hut in Tahiti. The woman, a native Tahitian, was related by blood to the Waikato Tainui tribe, who are among the flyweight's ancestors. He was fascinated by the interaction and really appreciated how connected all Pacific Island people were. All of this shows that although Kai Kara-France has spent his entire life in Auckland, far from his ancestral villages, he has a deep and abiding connection to his Maori heritage. What do you think about Kara-France's lineage?