Kai Kara-France vs. Brandon Royval is on the main card for UFC 253 betting on Saturday, September 26. This should be a war between two ranked flyweights looking to climb to the top of the division. UFC odds have Kara-France installed as the -250 favorite, while Royval is the underdog at +198.
We break down the UFC betting odds for this flyweight battle and give our best picks and predictions for Kara-France vs. Royval at UFC 253.
Kara-France vs Royval odds
| Method of Victory | Kai Kara-France | Brandon Royval |
|---|---|---|
| Win outright | -250 | +198 |
| Win by KO/TKO | +500 | +850 |
| Win by points | -110 | +500 |
| Win by submission | +1,000 | +700 |
| Draw | +5,000 | +5,000 |
Odds courtesy of FanDuel
Kara-France vs Royval betting preview
Kai Kara-France is No. 7 in the UFC flyweight rankings. He's coming off a unanimous-decision victory over Tyson Nam in February and has won nine of his last 10 fights. The New Zealand native is high-volume striker who averages 5.27 significant strikes per minute and has a lot of pop in his right hand.
Nicknamed "Don't Blink" for the first-round finishes that filled up his resume earlier in his career, Kara-France hasn't found things quite so easy now that he's facing tougher opponents. Seven of his previous eight fights have gone the distance.
Brandon "Raw Dawg" Royval is the No. 10 flyweight contender. Royval is fresh off his first career UFC fight, a submission victory over Tim Elliott in May. The 28-year-old has now won seven of his last eight fights
Royval is a well-rounded fighter that excels on the ground, with his last three victories - and seven of his 11 overall wins - coming by submission.
Kara-France vs Royval tale of the tape
| Kai Kara-France | Brandon Royval | |
|---|---|---|
| 27 | Age | 28 |
| 5-foot-4 | Height | 5-foot-9 |
| 125 lbs | Weight | 125 lbs |
| 69 inches | Reach | 70.5 inches |
| 21-8-1 | Record | 11-4-0 |
Kara-France vs Royval predictions and betting picks
PREDICTION: Kara-France to win by points -110 - As tempting as it is to root for a fighter nicknamed Raw Dawg - especially when he will try to engage in close-contact grappling - I just don't see the underdog winning. While Royval has a strong submission game, Kara-France has terrific takedown defense and is the much better fighter standing up.
Royval might have won of his last five fights, but he has only one victory at the UFC level and it will be a step up in competition against Kara-France. Kara-France has seen all five of his UFC fights go the distance, which has us leaning towards a win via points on Saturday night.
