Brandon
Moreno and Kai Kara
France are expected to vie for the interim flyweight crown at
UFC 277.
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News of the matchup was first
reported by Ariel Helwani. An interim belt was reportedly
created because reigning 125-pound king Deiveson
Figueiredo is still recovering from an injured finger.
Otherwise, the promotion wanted to book Figueiredo vs. Moreno 4.
Moreno and Kara France initially fought at UFC 245, with Moreno
winning a three-round verdict.
UFC 277 takes place on July 30 and is also expected to include a
middleweight showdown between Paulo Costa
and Luke
Rockhold as well as a light heavyweight tilt pitting Magomed
Ankalaev against Anthony
Smith. A location has not been revealed, but Dallas is rumored
to be the top option.
Moreno is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Figueiredo in a
trilogy bout at UFC 270 on Jan. 22. “The Assassin Baby” is 1-1-1
against the Brazilian, with a third-round submission victory at UFC
263 and a majority draw at UFC 256. It will be Moreno’s first clash
against a foe other than Figueiredo since a first-round TKO of
Brandon Rovyal in November 2020.
Kara France, meanwhile, has been victorious in his last three UFC
appearances. Most recently, he outpointed fellow top contender
Askar
Askarov at UFC on ESPN 33. The City Kickboxing representative’s
streak also includes KO/TKO finishes of Cody
Garbrandt and Rogerio
Bontorin.