Kai Kara-France isn’t expecting to finish Alexandre Pantoja early at UFC 317

Kai Kara-France believes he has realistic expectations for his title fight against Alexandre Pantoja.

Kara-France and Pantoja will collide in the UFC 317 co-headliner on Saturday. Pantoja’s UFC Flyweight Championship will be at stake. While Kara-France has competed for interim gold, this will be his first undisputed UFC title fight.

Ahead of this weekend’s clash, Kara-France knows that Pantoja won’t go down easily.

RELATED: ALEXANDRE PANTOJA UNDERSTANDS THE KO THREAT POSED BY KAI KARA-FRANCE

Kai Kara-France Acknowledges Alexandre Pantoja’s Durability

Speaking to reporters during “International Fight Week,” Kai Kara-France said that despite his KO success, he doesn’t anticipate Alexandre Pantoja going down with the first clean shot (h/t MMAJunkie).

“I believe in my power, my knockout power so much that sometimes when I fight guys it only takes one or two shots and you’ve found that kill shot,” Kara-France said. “But Pantoja, I know you’re going to have to land at least 10 to 20 kill shots to get him out, and we’re prepared for that. We’re ready for the fire. I’m not taking a back step.

“I want to meet him in the middle and I want to showcase all my skills and let him know that you can’t hurt me. I’m right in the middle and I’m going to stay in his face.”

Kara-France has said that he feels Pantoja will eventually get “sloppy” in the fight, potentially leaving himself open to be knocked out. Kara-France will be in familiar territory as the underdog, but that didn’t stop him from scoring a finish over Steve Erceg in his last outing. That performance earned Kara-France a shot at Pantoja for the top prize at 125 pounds.

Be sure to stick with the BJPenn.com homepage on Saturday for live coverage of UFC 317. We’ll be bringing you live results and video highlights throughout the prelims and the main card.