Latest news with #TheCannibal
RNZ News
27-06-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
UFC 317 - Everything you need to know about Kai Kara-France's title shot
Kai Kara-France faces Brazilian Alexandre Pantoja in the Octogan. Photo: Photosport UFC 317 Alexandre Pantoja v Kai Kara-France UFC flyweight title Approx 4pm Sunday, 29 June T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas Live blog updates on RNZ Kai Kara-France gets to run it back - almost a decade after the fact - this time with gold on the line. The Kiwi flyweight gets a second shot at immortality in Las Vegas on Sunday, when he meets Brazilian champion Alexandre Pantoja. Is it Kai's time to be king or will 'The Cannibal' devour the Kiwi, as he has the rest of the division? "I've been a professional 15 years now fighting, 15 years to prepare for this," Kara-France told RNZ. "Something I've got in my back pocket is 13 knockouts in the flyweight division, where there's not many knockouts. "Pantoja's never been finished in the UFC, never been knocked out. I want to be the first one to do it. "I know I've got that in my back pocket, waiting for him, ready to land that shot." Alexandre 'The Cannibal' Pantoja Age - 35 Nation - Brazil Record - 29 wins, 5 losses Height - 1.65m (5ft 5in) Weight - 57kg (125lb) Reach - 173cm (68 inches) Kai 'Don't Blink' Kara-France Age - 32 Nation - Aotearoa NZ Record - 25 wins, 11 losses Height - 1.63m (5ft 4in) Weight - 57kg (125lb) Reach - 175cm (69in) Kara-France (Waikato-Tainui, Ngaati Kahungunu, Ngaati Tuwharetoa, Te Atihau-nui-A-Paparangi, Ngarauru, Ngaati Koata, Ati Awa) is 1-2 in his last three trips to the Octagon, but is no stranger to the title picture. The Kiwi has fought for the interim title, losing by TKO to Brandon Moreno at UFC 277 in July 2022. After finding some early success, Kara-France took a brutal kick to the liver, sending him crumbling to the canvas. "Before that, it was probably my best round," he said. "I cut him. "His face was all bloodied and bruised, but he's a tough guy. He's a fighter and he did well to capitalise on that moment, getting underneath my elbow and took my breath away. "It just showed that I'm right there with the best guys and how close this division is. Anyone could beat anyone." Pantoja (29-5) will be looking for a fourth consecutive defence, after taking the title from Moreno, and seeing off challenges from Brandon Royval, Steve Erceg and Kai Asakura. This won't be the first meeting between Kara-France and Pantoja - they squared off in a two-round exhibition bout in 2016, with Pantojo winning by unanimous decision. "A lot's happened since nine years," Kara-France said. "He's obviously become a world champion. "I've progressed in my career, I've found my feet where I'm knocking guys out and living up to my nickname." Nine years later, the rematch takes place on one of the biggest cards of 2025. "It's a cool storyline, I get to run this back. "We have shared the Octagon and I felt his power, felt his world-class jujitsu, and I did well in that fight to scramble and get back to my feet. "Standup was quite equal, but it's all different now. I think I've refined my skillset to know that I can take out most guys. "I was a boy back then, I'm a man now. I know what I'm fighting for." Kara-France's most recent appearance was an emphatic TKO of Australian contender Steve Erceg last August. With 60 seconds remaining in the first round, 'Don't Blink' landed a massive overhand left that starched the Australian in front of his Perth faithful. Meanwhile, Pantoja is riding a seven-fight winning streak - his most recent was a dominant dismantling of Japanese prospect Kai Asakura at UFC 310 on December 7. Pantoja decisively derailed the hype train, ending it by rear naked choke just two minutes into round two. "I haven't had an undefeated record, I've built my way up, I've had to fight for it. "When you've tasted it - all the wins, the losses, the speed bumps - when you get in there, you're unshakable, because you've tasted it all. "I'm going out there to attack this and I'm ready for a fight. I know Pantoja is going to be tough and come forward, but I feel like that's what's going to make him vulnerable and it's going to leave openings where I can find that shot. "Thirteen knockouts on my record, about to be 14 - I'm bringing that belt back home." - Kai Kara-France. "He has this crazy power in his hands, that's his special gift, "I have the opportunity to fight with the best fighters in the world, now I have a Maori warrior, that's super cool. He [Kara-France] sent me a message on Instagram saying, 'I am next' and I said, 'I hope so brother'. "He's super humble, he looks more dangerous now he has a family, he doesn't fight for just him anymore." - Alexandre Pantoja Kara-France said, when he steps into the Octagon, he brings the warrior spirit of all his ancestors with him. "I channel it when I step in there, and it gives me a lot of clarity and gives me clear intentions that I can do this. "When I'm in there, there's no team to hide behind, but I'm not alone. I have all my tipuna [ancestry] behind me and it just allows me to kind of go inwards. "I don't have to go looking for answers. It's always in me, it's my identity, it's my anchor. "Fighting is my mahi, it's what people know me as, but long before I was a fighter, that's the reason why I'm a fighter, is because of my ancestors. "That's the blueprint I go off, because they would've been navigating all these challenges that they've had to go through. I'm very proud of it, being unapologetically Māori, and what better way than to become the first flyweight Māori champion? "If I don't do it, who else will?" Two incredibly technically sound fighters, this will be a battle of wills, as much as skills. Kara-France's best chance to steal the strap will be finding Pantoja's chin and shutting the lights out. We know the City Kickboxing product possesses plenty of power, but the deeper he enters, the more comfortable Pantoja will get and 'The Cannibal' may just eventually break the Kiwi's world class defence. Prediction - Pantoja by submission With the greatest fighter on the planet making the move to welterweight, Islam Makhachev has left his lightweight throne vacant. Making their claim to the crown will be division stalwart Charles Oliveria and the former featherweight king Illia Topuria. Do Bronx v El Matador, Brazil v Spain, power puncher v submission specialist - brace for a banger. Ilia Topuria v Charles Oliveira for vacant UFC lightweight title Alexandre Pantoja (c) v Kai Kara-France for the UFC flyweight title Brandon Royval v Joshua Van at flyweight Beneil Dariush v Renato Moicano at lightweight Payton Talbott v Felipe Lima at bantamweight Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
New York Post
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
‘Skara Cannibal's' daughter recalls last encounter she had with stepmother before father brutally killed her
Jamie-Lee Arrow was nine years old when she saw her stepmother, Helle Christensen, for the last time. She was visiting her dad, Isakin Jonsson, and described that ominous weekend as the 'worst' of her entire childhood. What did Isakin Jonsson the 'Skara Cannibal 'do? Advertisement While Helle was cooking in the kitchen, Arrow noticed that she appeared aggressive and was 'acting weird.' When they sat down to eat, Helle said it was the last meal she would ever cook for them because Jonsson was going to kill her. 8 Now, almost 14 years later, Jamie-Lee Arrow is speaking out about her experience as the daughter of one of Sweden's most infamous killers. Investigation Discovery Horrifyingly, after a shopping trip the couple took soon after, Jonsson slit his 40-year-old girlfriend's throat, decapitated her, and ate parts of her body. Advertisement Now, almost 14 years later, Arrow is speaking out about her experience as the daughter of one of Sweden's most infamous killers. 'I want people to understand the darkness I came from and that I actually managed to get myself out from under it,' she tells PEOPLE. 8 Jamie-Lee Arrow was nine years old when she saw her stepmother, Helle Christensen (not pictured), for the last time. Investigation Discovery 'I still struggle with feeling like I am my own person and that my dad has nothing to do with who I am.' Advertisement Jamie-Lee's story is being told in an upcoming documentary, 'Evil Lives Here: The Killer Speaks', titled 'My Father, The Cannibal,' where she visits her dad for the first time in four years. Since being found guilty in 2012, he has been in the care and supervision of a psychiatric facility. Arrow says that when she initially saw him, he appeared delighted to see her, crying and hugging her. But things soon shifted. 8 When they sat down to eat, Helle (pictured right) said it was the last meal she would ever cook for them because Jonsson was going to kill her. Apple TV 'His true colors started to show again' 'I so wanted to believe that he had changed and that he had become the dad I always wanted and needed. His true colors started to show again,' Arrow explains. Advertisement Nevertheless, Arrow continued seeing him, which initially seemed positive, but then she received a 'twisted, sick' text from him. Now, even though she's certain she won't maintain a relationship with him, she still loves him. 'Even though he can never, ever be a part of my life again, I will love him. It hurts loving someone that is so bad for you.' 8 Horrifyingly, after a shopping trip the couple took soon after, Jonsson slit his 40-year-old girlfriend's throat, decapitated her, and ate parts of her body. Investigation Discovery 8 Jonsson was found guilty in 2012 and has been in the care and supervision of a psychiatric facility since. Investigation Discovery Before the murder, Arrow says that her dad was a psychopathic narcissist who struggled with drug addiction and mental health issues. She recalls her father being obsessed with voodoo dolls – so much so that she had 10 in her bedroom. 'He was very aggressive, very unpredictable, and he put me through loads of traumatizing events,' she shares in one of her YouTube videos. Advertisement 8 In the documentary, when speaking to his daughter, Jonsson ostensibly justifies the gruesome killing of Helle, saying that she wanted to die. Investigation Discovery 8 'I had lost control. In my demented mind, that was a logical decision to get what I want, and I saw a way out for me to get help,' he told Arrow. Investigation Discovery At six, she met her father's new girlfriend, Helle, and felt an 'instant connection' to her. The two shared a loving and strong relationship, but Arrow says her dad and Helle were not good for each. In the documentary, when speaking to his daughter, Jonsson ostensibly justifies the gruesome killing of Helle, saying that she wanted to die. Advertisement 'I had lost control. In my demented mind, that was a logical decision to get what I want, and I saw a way out for me to get help,' he told Arrow. 8 Now, as a mom of two, Arrow is passionate about connecting with other children and adults who have suffered from traumatic upbringings. Investigation Discovery After the murder, she says she spiraled into pits of anxiety and depression, which led her to a drug addiction. However, at 19, she realized he had been 'brainwashing' her and made the decision to stop seeing him. Now, as a mom of two, Arrow is passionate about connecting with other children and adults who have suffered from traumatic upbringings. Advertisement 'I did this for the little Jamie – the little girl that I once was… [who] was told to stay quiet… cried herself to sleep… felt scared all the time.' Wondering if he was just putting on an act for her, she says, 'I just have to accept that my dad is actually sick and probably capable of doing that even though it hurts to admit that to myself.'
Daily Record
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Daughter of cannibal dad who killed and ate stepmum speaks out
The daughter of a crazed cannibal who decapitated her stepmum and ate her remains has spoken out about her evil dad who has been freed from a psychiatric hospital since the crime . Jamie-Lee Arrow is featured in a new season of the gripping but gruesome Evil Lives Here: The Killer Speaks. Jamie-Lee's father Isakin Drubbed, Isakin Jonsson who changed his name to Isakan Drabad, the Skara Cannibal, shocked Sweden in 2010 when he cut off parts of Helle Christensen's body and ate her remains. His daughter, Jamie-Lee, 23, opens up about how her convicted murderer father tried to raise her to be as depraved as he was. As a child, she recounts how she became so close to her father's girlfriend, Helle Christensen, who she considered her a second mum. 'She made me feel special,' Arrow, who met the mother of five when she was nine years old and her father, Isakin Jonsson, started dating Christensen, said. But Christensen, who Arrow calls her 'stepmum,' and Arrow's father fought often and violently, which gave Arrow a bad feeling, even at such a young age. In November 2010, Jonsson killed Christensen, 40, in his home in Skara, Sweden. In what became one of Sweden's most notorious murders, Jonsson slit Christensen's throat, decapitated her and 'ate part of her,' Arrow said. She tells the harrowing story of growing up with her father, who changed his name to Isakin Drabbad and is known as 'the Skara Cannibal,' in the season premiere of Evil Lives Here: The Killer Speaks on Investigation Discovery/ID. The two-hour episode, titled, My Father, The Cannibal, features emotional interviews not only with Arrow but with Drabbad himself, who gives rare glimpses into his twisted state of mind before and after Christensen's gruesome murder. Arrow opens up about her bizarre upbringing, including how her father made her macabre 'voodoo dolls.' She said: 'I had 10 of them in my room.' The episode also details Arrow's struggle to come to terms with the reality of who her father really is and how she managed to free herself from his world of depravity. After the murder, he changed his name to Drabbad, which she says means "Infected" in Swedish, she said. 'He made it up himself and that's so true,' she added. 'Everyone that meets him gets infected by him.' Speaking about why she wanted to film the episode, Arrow said: 'I want people to understand the darkness I came from and that I actually managed to get myself out from under it. I still struggle with feeling like I am my own person and that my dad has got nothing to do with who I am.' Convicted in 2011 of Christensen's murder, Jonsson was remanded to a psychiatric hospital . He has since been released from the hospital, but remains under its supervision. His next step is to be fully free, which would give him the same rights as anyone else in Sweden, Arrow says. One of the most emotional and unsettling parts of the episode is when Arrow surprises her father with a visit in October 2024 for the first time in four years. For a moment she says she thinks the father she knew and loved as a child had returned. 'He started crying and hugged me and seemed happy to see me,' she says. 'I so wanted to believe that he had changed and that he had become the dad I always wanted and needed.' That was not the case. 'His true colors started to show again,' she said. Wondering if he was just putting on an act for her, she said: 'I just have to accept that my dad is actually sick and probably capable of doing that even though it hurts to admit that to myself.' Following the filming, Arrow spoke to US news outlet People. She said: 'We had some really long and deep conversations and I did let him know that I love him and I forgive him. But then something happened. He sent me a long, twisted, sick text message where he basically threatened me and my family if I ever reached out to him again.' The text hurt her deeply, but she is also relieved. 'It gave me the closure I needed. It was like I needed that to understand how sick it all is.' Now she is 'mourning him like he is dead,' Arrow, who is the mother of two young children , said. 'I just have to accept that I love him but he can never, ever in a million years be a part of my life, and definitely not my kids' lives. It hurts loving someone that is so bad for you.' Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.
Daily Mail
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Daughter of cannibalistic murderer reveals what it was like to grow up with the notorious killer
The daughter of a cannibalistic murderer has opened up about what it was really like to grow up with the notorious killer... before she came face-to-face with him for a rare sit-down for a chilling new docuseries. Isakin Drabbad, now 46, became one of Sweden 's most infamous murderers after he brutally killed his girlfriend Helle Christensen in 2010 - decapitating her and eating parts of her body. Isakin later confessed to the murder, and a forensic psychiatric examination found that he suffered from a serious mental disorder; he was convicted of murder in 2011 and committed to a mental health institution. Now, his daughter, Jamie-Lee Arrow, has laid bare the pain that she has endured while watching the horrific events play out during her childhood during the upcoming premiere episode of Investigation Discovery's Evil Lives Here: The Killer Speaks. The episode, which will air tonight, entitled My Father, The Cannibal, will also see her confront Isakin for what he put her through. In a preview for the show, Jamie-Lee was seen wiping away tears as she asked Isakin, who has since been released from the mental hospital, 'Do you know how much you have to love someone to still want to see the person who is scaring you to death?' 'I think it's extremely difficult to have me in your life,' he replied. 'You can only see heaven from hell ... I look at you from hell. And I'm sorry.' An emotional Jamie-Lee then hinted at some of the horrors that she endured as a kid. Isakin (seen reccently) confessed to the murder, and a forensic psychiatric examination found that he suffered from a mental disorder; he was committed to a mental health institution Now, his daughter, Jamie-Lee Arrow, has laid bare the pain that she has endured while watching the horrific events play out during her childhood during the upcoming premiere episode of Investigation Discovery's Evil Lives Here: The Killer Speaks She explained, 'It didn't matter whatever you did or how badly you scared me, I always wanted to come back to you.' 'I know, you're extremely brave,' Isakin told her, to which she replied, 'No, I just loved you.' 'It feels like I always listen to you and how you experienced everything, but I don't think I could talk to you about how I really felt during my childhood,' she added. 'I feel like now is my chance to finally speak up. And then I can finally move on and leave that behind me.' While speaking to People ahead of the doc's release, Jamie-Lee explained that before their sit-down in the show, she hadn't spoken to her father in over four years. As for why she did it, she dished, 'I want people to understand the darkness I came from and that I actually managed to get myself out from under it. 'I still struggle with feeling like I am my own person and that my dad has got nothing to do with who I am.' She admitted that it was bitter-sweet reuniting with her father, explaining that while at first he seemed like he was doing better, his 'true colors' eventually started to show again. 'He started crying and hugged me and seemed happy to see me. I so wanted to believe that he had changed and that he had become the dad I always wanted and needed,' she said. 'But his true colors started to show again. I just have to accept that my dad is actually sick and probably capable of doing that even though it hurts to admit that to myself.' After they filmed the docuseries, Jamie-Lee said she and her dad had a few more visits and 'some really long and deep conversations.' She even told him that she 'loved him and forgave him,' but then, he completely switched on her and sent her a 'sick' message out of the blue. 'He sent me a long, twisted, sick text message where he basically threatened me and my family if I ever reached out to him again,' the mother-of-two revealed. 'It gave me the closure I needed. It was like I needed that to understand how sick it all is. 'I'm mourning him like he is dead. I just have to accept that I love him but he can never, ever in a million years be a part of my life, and definitely not my kids' lives. It hurts loving someone that is so bad for you.'
