Kai Kara-France's connection to Maori culture: ethnicity, nationality and more

Like many other UFC fighters, flyweight star Kai Kara-France appeared on the UFC's flagship show, “The Ultimate Fighter,” in 2016. However, he did not make it into the UFC as he lost in the quarterfinals of the show and was eliminated.

To be fair, the Kiwi lost to future flyweight champion and semi-finalist, Alexandre Pantojawho is currently the best flyweight in the division. His UFC dreams didn't end there, however, as “Don't Blink” won five fights in a row on the local New Zealand MMA circuit and finally secured a UFC contract in 2018. Since then, he has developed into one of the best 125-pounders in the promotion. In this article, we take a look at his lineage and martial arts background.

What is Kai Kara-France's ethnicity? Is he Maori?

Kai Kara-France has quite an interesting and varied heritage. Although he is a New Zealand citizen and was born and lived in Auckland his entire life, “Don't Blink” does indeed have Maori ancestry, albeit only partially.

In addition, the Waikato, Ngati Twwharetoa, Ngati Kahungunu and Tuhoe tribes of the Pacific Island community that has a significant presence in New Zealand are also present in his blood. Former UFC legend Mark Huntcurrent heavyweight Tai TuivasaAnd Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson are some of the martial artists whose ancestors are Pacific Islanders.

In fact, the flyweight learned a lot about his roots on a trip to Tahiti, where he trains fighters. The Kiwi once met an old woman who shared parts of his ancestry.

“Where I lived was a mountain hut that my friend had built. His aunt was the owner. By chance they found whakapapa [trace their lineage] back to Waikato. They are Tahitians, but have family and are connected to the iwi Tainui, that is my iwi [nation]. They told me, 'You know, the Tainui waka was made in the forest where you are staying.' Kara-France says it felt like he was exactly where he was meant to be. It's all surreal and it's all really connected and it was like I was meant to stay there and hear these stories,” he said. However, the Kiwi grew up in New Zealand's largest metropolis, far away from his home village and tribe.

Where did Kai Kara-France grow up? His nationality and early life

Kai Kara-France grew up in the New Zealand capital Auckland. Like many of his UFC colleagues, he began his martial arts career as a child. At the age of eight, the New Zealander began training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. At the same time, he discovered mixed martial arts, as his first trainer was a professional MMA fighter.

One of the most formative experiences in 'Don't Blink's life that led him to get involved in martial arts was being bullied as a child. He started learning BJJ because he wanted an effective way to defend himself against bigger kids.

And he hasn't looked back since. The flyweight made his MMA debut in 2010 at the age of 18 and is one of the most successful combat athletes on the UFC roster! At 31, the New Zealander has competed in nearly forty professional fights, most of them in the local New Zealand MMA circuit.