Kai Kara-France vs. Brandon Moreno interim flyweight title bout slated for UFC 277
Top-ranked flyweight contenders Kai Kara-France and Brandon Moreno are set to compete in an interim flyweight title bout slated for UFC 277.
MMA reporter Ariel Helwani revealed on his Substack that the UFC plans on booking Kara-France vs. Moreno 2 at UFC 277, which takes place on July 30. This is a rematch of the pair’s first fight, which took place back at UFC 245 in December 2019, in which Moreno won a unanimous decision in a competitive fight. The UFC’s original plan was to book the fourth fight between Moreno and UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo, but the champ is currently dealing with a finger injury. Instead of waiting for him to return to health, the UFC decided to book this interim title fight instead.
Kara-France (24-9, 1 NC) is coming off of one of the biggest wins of his MMA career to date when he defeated top contender Askar Askarov by decision in his last outing. Overall, Kara-France is riding a three-fight win streak, which includes brutal KO wins over Cody Garbrandt and Rogerio Bontorin. He has a 7-2 overall record in the UFC and he has proven himself to be an upper-echelon flyweight.
Moreno (19-6-2) is coming off of a decision loss to Figueiredo where the lost the UFC flyweight title, having held the belt for just over six months following his upset win over the champ last year at UFC 263. Moreno has fought Figueiredo three times in a row, going 1-1-1, so it’s good to see him getting a fresh opponent for the first time since 2020. Overall, Moreno is 7-3-2 while fighting in the UFC.
The odds have not yet been revealed for this rematch between Kara-France and Moreno, but it’s worth noting that Kara-France closed as a -160 favorite in the first fight, with Moreno as a +140 underdog that night. Moreno won that match, and he has since become a champion in the UFC, so it wouldn’t come as any surprise whatsoever if “The Assassin Baby” is favored over “Don’t Blink” in the rematch.
Who do you think wins this interim UFC flyweight title bout between Kai Kara-France and Brandon Moreno?
