Kai Kara-France reveals how the Warriors helped his return from concussion
Kai Kara-France is a lifelong Warriors diehard. He reveals how his favourite footy team helped his comeback from concussion.
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Kai Kara-France’s old man’s proudest moment wasn’t when his son made his UFC debut, or when he fought for the interim flyweight title.
“His proudest moment was when I came home and told him I’m a member of the Warriors’ coaching staff and that I’d got him season passes,” New Zealand MMA star Kara-France told this masthead.
The rugby league loving fighter, who made the trip to Sydney for the Warriors’ 2011 Grand Final against Manly, joined the team as a wrestling coach on the advice of Adam Blair in 2023.
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“I grew up watching this team and joining the staff was a dream come true,” said the 31-year-old, who fights Steve Erceg at UFC 305 in Perth this weekend. “I’ve never played rugby league, but I grew up watching the sport and I’m just there to teach them quality wrestling work.
“It’s about being efficient with your movements, and being more body-aware.
“Whatever you teach them, they’ll pick it up straight away. And being a part of a team with Stacey Jones, Webby, Monty Betham and the players – Shaun Johnson, Addin Fonua-Blake, Dallin and Rog – hopefully we can work towards a premiership. That’s the goal.”
That won’t happen this season, but Kara-France’s commitment to the Warriors was repaid last year when a concussion suffered in training forced him out of his UFC 293 bout in Sydney.
He was suffering nausea, dizziness and headaches and was unable to regulate his emotions.
The Warriors were quick to reach out.
“They immediately said I could use any of their staff,” he said. “So I saw Dr. James Cunningham – their neurologist – and he’s seen it all.
“You want a guy who’s worked with everyone, and who’s seen the good and bad.”
Cunningham took him through a battery of cognitive tests over a three-hour period, and Kara-France revealed he scored just 50% for his age and education.
They were scary results, but he could still find the funny side.
“He was like, ‘You’re not as bad as the footy boys, but you’ve still got something going on’,” he laughs.
Kai Kara-France pulled up with the quad 🤜ðŸ½ðŸ’¥ pic.twitter.com/PcMr2Udsbf
— One NZ Warriors (@NZWarriors) July 16, 2023
His comeback was a slow process. For weeks he was restricted to short walks around a local park as his only form of exercise.
Under Cunningham’s watchful eye, he gradually began jogging and weight training, before eventually returning to full contact sparring.
His return to full training coincided with the Warriors’ pre-season, and he joined right in.
“I was helping them prepare for their season, I was hands on the mats and giving them a push,” he said.
“I was doing the running stuff on the field, which was pretty cool.
“I was doing that on the side, so when I went back to the gym at City Kickboxing, I was fit and my body felt really good and recovered.”
Kara-France says there’s one critical thing MMA can take from rugby league when it comes to head knocks.
“Something we need to learn in fighting is that you don’t need to get FOMO if you’re not doing a full session,” he said. “Be disciplined with just doing what you need to.
“Rather than ‘I’m letting the team down, I should be sparring and doing hard session’ – less is more. Take your time and do it the right way.”
Kara-France knows he’ll probably cop some boos when he walks out to fight Perth hero Steve Erceg.
But he’ll have a whole footy team behind him as well.
“All the boys are massive fans of fighting and the UFC and there’s a mutual respect,” he said. “I think that’s what gets the buy-in from the boys.
“I’m not just talking about, ‘Back in my day’, I’m actually in my career now, doing it.
“I get season passes for the family too, so my old man loves it too.”
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