Kara-France withdraws from UFC 293 fight vs. Kape due to concussion
Flyweight Kai Kara-France dropped out of his fight against Manel Kape at UFC 293 on Sept. 9 in Sydney due to a concussion, he announced on Instagram on Monday.
UFC newcomer Felipe dos Santos will step in to fight Kape in Kara-France's place, according to Guilherme Cruz and Damon Martin of MMA Fighting.
"I suffered a concussion over the weekend at training," Kara-France said. "I've been speaking to my coaches, my team, and my family, and they all think it's the right decision to put my health first.
"I just want to say sorry to all the friends and family that bought tickets, flights, accommodation, (and to) all of the fans that were excited to see me fight live. I'm gutted I won't be a part of this card."
Kara-France (24-11, 1 NC) was set to enter the Octagon after sustaining back-to-back losses in his last two outings, most recently dropping a TKO loss to Brandon Moreno at UFC 277 in July 2022 for the interim flyweight title. He also lost a controversial split decision to Amir Albazi in June. Despite his recent losing skid, Kara-France is the No. 5-ranked fighter in the flyweight division.
Kape's (18-6) unfortunate luck regarding booking opponents continues. Following a unanimous decision win over David Dvorak in December 2022, the 29-year-old had scheduled fights with former division champion Deiveson Figueiredo, Alex Perez, and now Kara-France fall through. It remains unclear if Kape will stay on the main card with a new opponent or fight at a later date.
A middleweight title bout between Sean Strickland and champion Israel Adesanya will headline UFC 293. The card also features a battle between heavyweights Tai Tuivasa and Alexander Volkov.