\u201cDon\u2019t Blink\u201d is hitting pause on his mixed martial arts (MMA) career \u2014 at least for now.<\/p>\n
Earlier today, former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Flyweight title challenger Kai Kara-France was unexpectedly removed from the Top 15 rankings<\/a>, sparking online panic that he may have been suspended or even released by the promotion.<\/p>\n The 32-year-old contender is stepping away from the sport for at least a year and has voluntarily removed himself from the UFC\u2019s drug-testing pool<\/a>, which automatically disqualifies him from the rankings.<\/p>\n Ariel Helwani spoke with Kara-France\u2019s team, who clarified the situation.<\/p>\n \u201cHe informed the UFC he would be taking the year off and that there are other things he wants to do,\u201d Helwani reported. \u201cHe is not retiring necessarily, but he is taking a break \u2014 taking at least a year off. He wants to get into some cultural things, things that have nothing to do with fighting. He\u2019s very spiritual, and we\u2019ve seen him do things for his culture, his people, and his heritage. As a result he\u2019s removed himself from the testing pool and he\u2019s not eligible to be ranked until he notifies the UFC that he\u2019s back.\u201d<\/p>\n Kara-France (25-12) is coming off a dominant submission loss to champion Alexandre Pantoja in the co-main event of UFC 317<\/a> this past summer (watch highlights<\/a>). Before that, he punched his ticket to a title shot by knocking out fellow contender Steve Erceg in the first round (watch highlights<\/a>).<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t Blink\u201d has gone 1-3 in his last four outings, so a mental and physical reset may prove beneficial, especially with lingering concussion issues<\/a>.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not a goodbye \u2014 just a \u201csee you later.\u201d<\/p>\n