Brandon Moreno to Fight Kai Kara-France for UFC’s Interim Flyweight Title Fight

Brandon Moreno is heading back to the Octagon in July…

UFC is moving forward with an interim flyweight title fight between the Mexican mixed martial artist – the first Mexican-born UFC champion – and Kai Kara-France on July 30, according to ESPN.

Brandon MorenoMoreno and Kara-France will meet for the interim belt at UFC 277 at a location to be announced.

It will mark the second time Moreno and Kara-France square off. Moreno took a unanimous decision in their first fight in December 2019.

Deiveson Figueiredo (21-2-1) will retain his title, but is not available to defend against the next No. 1 contender. The Brazilian has not made a public statement on the creation of an interim belt. Previously, he had expressed a desire to fight Kara-France.

Moreno (19-6-2) is coming off three consecutive title bouts against Figueiredo. The two fought to a draw in late 2020 and met in an immediate rematch in June 2021. Moreno submitted Figueiredo in the third round of that fight to claim the 125-pound title, but surrendered it back via unanimous decision in a trilogy bout in January.

Kara-France (24-9), of New Zealand, has surged into contention behind a 4-1 record in his past five bouts. He recorded back-to-back first-round finishes against top-tier opponents in Rogerio Bontorin and Cody Garbrandt in 2021. He also defeated Askar Askarov in March.

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