Brandon Moreno stops Kai Kara-France with body kick, wins interim title at UFC 277
Deiveson Figeuiredo vs Brandon Moreno IV anyone?
The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to us tonight, July 30, 2022, for UFC 277, going down live from the American Airlines Arena in Dallas, Texas.
Headlining the event is a bantamweight championship rematch between current champion Julianna Pena (11-4) and former champion, no. 1 ranked Amanda Nunes (21-5).
Co-headlining the event is also a championship rematch, this one going down in the flyweight division between former champion, no. 1 ranked Brandon Moreno (19-6-2), who faces no. 2 ranked Kai Kara-France (24-9) for the interim title in the co-main event of the evening.
Each of these men has fought five times since their first encounter; Moreno going 3-1-1, his last three bouts taking place against undisputed flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo, while Kara-France has gone 4-1 since their first affair, and he comes into this bout on a three-fight win streak.
Continue reading to see how this flyweight championship co-main event rematch went down:
Official Result: Brandon Moreno def. Kai Kara-France via TKO (body kick & punches) at 4:34 of round three
It’s evident these two have respect for the others striking, as the majority of the first round is a feeling-out process.
Moreno lands a nice left hook, before Kara-France eventually lands a hard overhand right that backs the former champion up. Moreno then shoots on a takedown, but Kara-France’s defense holds up and they remain on the feet.
Kara-France has a good start to the second, as he continues landing those leg kicks to the outside, as well as the inside of Moreno’s leg. Moreno starts to pick up the pace toward the end of the second however, much like their first encounter, and he’s beginning to find his range.
Aside from that right hand in the first round, Kara-France was having a tough time finding his range, up until the third where he’s able to land a good amount.
Kara-France first ends up in top position in Moreno’s guard after a scramble, and Kara-France lands a nasty elbow that opens Moreno up. Kara-France stands up and hits Moreno hard a number of times on his way up and swarms him.
Moreno stays in there though, as he always has, and ends up finding his range toward the end of the round.
The leg kicks of Kara-France are still landing, but Moreno throws a body kick at the end of a combination that drops Kara-France. Some follow up punches is all it took and the fight was stopped, and we have a new interim champion!
Brandon Moreno becomes the first man to stop Kai-Kara France with strikes since his third professional fight.
It appears we’ll see Brandon Moreno versus undisputed champion Deiveson Figueiredo for a fourth time.
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