Kara-France TKOs Erceg in 1st round of flyweight bout

Kai Kara-France defeated Steve Erceg via TKO at the 4:04 mark of the first round in the UFC 305 co-main event Saturday in Perth, Australia.

Kara-France stepped in and landed an overhand left that dropped Erceg. The latter briefly returned to his feet and retreated, but Kara-France floored him for good with a right hand.

The victory puts Kara-France, the No. 4-ranked flyweight, back in title contention after he snapped a two-fight losing streak. UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja needs an opponent for his next title defense, and he has fought two of the three fighters ranked above Kara-France.

Kara-France earned his first victory since March 2022. The New Zealander fought Brandon Moreno for the interim flyweight title in July 2022 but lost via TKO.

Erceg has now lost two in a row. The Perth native challenged Pantoja for the belt at UFC 301 in May and came close to pulling off the upset, ultimately falling short on the scorecards. Erceg, who made his UFC debut just last year, fell to 3-2 in the promotion with the defeat to Kara-France.

Judge Howie Booth was slated to officiate the Kara-France versus Erceg bout. However, he was relieved for the night after submitting an egregious scorecard in an earlier heavyweight bout. Booth gave Tai Tuivasa all three rounds against Jairzinho Rozenstruik, the latter of whom appeared to dominate the fight and ultimately won by split decision.