Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo will both carry gold heading into their fourth fight. Moreno captured the interim UFC flyweight championship with a third-round TKO over Kai Kara-France at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas on Saturday night at UFC 277.
Moreno and Kara-France fought a competitive two rounds that likely inched in Moreno’s favor. It was an action-packed third round that will be remembered fondly. Kara-France tripped Moreno to the floor and hurled a slashing elbow that opened a cut under Moreno’s eye. The City Kickboxing product bludgeoned Moreno with punches as teammates Israel Adesanya and Alexander Volkanovski watched in support.
Moreno’s relentless spirit shone as he returned to the feet and cranked the pressure before landing a devastating liver kick. Kara-France covered up as Moreno rained down follow-up shots that forced referee Herb Dean’s hand. The fight was officially stopped at 4:34 of Round 3 in what was shaping up to be Kara-France’s best round.
Figueiredo, the reigning UFC flyweight champion, entered the Octagon for a post-match confrontation with the interim titleholder. Figueiredo and Moreno have split their three-fight series 1-1-1. The fighters buried the hatchet, praising each other ahead of their anticipated fourth fight.
Moreno (20-6-2) bounced back from a unanimous decision loss that snapped a seven-fight undefeated streak. France (24-10, 1 NC) won three consecutive fights — including knockouts of Cody Garbrandt and Rogerio Bontorin — to earn an interim title shot.
