UFC flyweight contender Kai Kara-France is used to having his potential doubted and underestimated, something he’s feeling again ahead of UFC 277. At the July 30 pay-per-view, Kara-France will have his first championship opportunity inside the Oc…
UFC flyweight contender Kai Kara-France is used to having his potential doubted and underestimated, something he’s feeling again ahead of UFC 277. At the July 30 pay-per-view, Kara-France will have his first championship opportunity inside the Octagon, a chance he’s earned through three consecutive victories over Rogério Bontorin, Cody Garbrandt, and Askar Askarov. While the…
Deiveson Figueiredo appears to have changed his opinion regarding the upcoming interim flyweight title fight between rival Brandon Moreno and Kai Kara-France. The UFC flyweight champion spoke to The Schmo after attending UFC 276 in Las Vegas, and Figue…
Deiveson Figueiredo appears to have changed his opinion regarding the upcoming interim flyweight title fight between rival Brandon Moreno and Kai Kara-France. The UFC flyweight champion spoke to The Schmo after attending UFC 276 in Las Vegas, and Figueiredo surprisingly indicated that he intends to fight the interim title holder in early 2023. “It’s all…
Kai Kara-France thinks that flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo wasted his chance to keep the UFC from creating an interim belt for the division. The 29-year-old recently appeared on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani in the lead-up to his co-main event bout with Brandon Moreno at UFC 277. When asked about Figueiredo’s apparent frustrations with…
Kai Kara-France thinks that flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo wasted his chance to keep the UFC from creating an interim belt for the division.
The 29-year-old recently appeared on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani in the lead-up to his co-main event bout with Brandon Moreno at UFC 277. When asked about Figueiredo’s apparent frustrations with the UFC for booking an interim flyweight title fight between Kara-France and Moreno, “Don’t Blink” was unsympathetic.
“Bro, you missed your shot,” Kara-France said. “Before the fight you were saying ‘I don’t wanna fight Brandon’ because he’s been racist, then he’s saying he’s injured. When an offer comes to you, even if you’re the champ you have a little bit of – well, you do have a big say in the fight – but if you don’t wanna fight, the UFC aren’t gonna wait. That’s just how the business is. If you’re here to fight, then that’s what they’ll do. They’ll match you up.”
Figueiredo is coming off a unanimous decision win over Moreno at UFC 270 where the Brazilian reclaimed the UFC flyweight title. The trilogy between “Deus Da Guerra” and Moreno currently stands at one win apiece, plus a majority draw in their initial 2020 meeting.
The UFC were originally looking into a fourth fight between Figueiredo and Moreno, but ultimately opted for an interim title fight between Kara-France and “The Assassin Baby”.
“With Figueiredo, saying all these things and not really committing, that just shows that he doesn’t really wanna fight. Even though he’s the champ,” Kara-France told Helwani. “I’m not looking too far ahead, but once I get past Brandon, we can unify this.”
The City Kickboxing-trained flyweight most recently earned a unanimous decision over Askar Askarov in March. That was his third win in a row following first-round stoppages of Cody Garbrandt and Rogério Bontorin.
No matter what the flyweight champion may have to say about the interim belt, “Don’t Blink” knows it’s only a matter of time before they settle things in the cage.
“The fight’s gonna happen eventually. We haven’t fought each other yet, and this flyweight division is so small that we’ll cross paths sooner or later.”
What do you make of Kara-France’s comments about Deiveson Figueiredo?
UFC Flyweight Champion Deiveson Figueiredo isn’t happy with how the promotion has handled the division’s title picture. Figueiredo most recently defeated Brandon Moreno for the flyweight title via a unanimous decision at UFC 270. It was another competitive fight from start to finish and a fourth fight between the two stars was talked about immediately…
UFC Flyweight Champion Deiveson Figueiredo isn’t happy with how the promotion has handled the division’s title picture.
Figueiredo most recently defeated Brandon Moreno for the flyweight title via a unanimous decision at UFC 270. It was another competitive fight from start to finish and a fourth fight between the two stars was talked about immediately following the card.
After Figueiredo vs. Moreno 4 was targeted for July, the fight never came to fruition and the promotion ended up booking an interim flyweight title bout. Moreno will face Kai Kara-France for the interim belt at UFC 277.
During a recent interview with AgFight, Figueiredo expressed frustration with the UFC booking an interim title fight.
“I was upset, because I didn’t expect this from the UFC,” Figueiredo admitted. “A few months ago I did the last fight and the event already puts an interim belt? I’m in disbelief. I can prove it because I didn’t accept the fight because of the injury and I would still question for not being so close. I’ve always provided great shows for the event and I feel undervalued for this interim belt.” (h/t BJ Penn)
Figueiredo had denied interest in the fourth fight with Moreno after alleged racism by Moreno and his team. Moreno has denied the accusations and accused Figueiredo of ducking him.
Moreno defeated Kara-France at UFC 245 via a unanimous decision. Since then, Kara-France has won four of his last five and is one win away from a unified flyweight title shot.
Figueiredo has had issues making flyweight in the past and a move to bantamweight may not be completely out of the question. While the bantamweight division is arguably more stacked with talent, it may alleviate stress when it comes to weight cutting.
What are your thoughts on Deiveson Figueiredo’s comments?
UFC flyweight Brandon Royval isn’t happy that his title ambitions will be put on ice by the proposed interim title fight between Brandon Moreno and Kai Kara France. Royval is back among the flyweight division’s top five after making a statement against Matt Schnell at UFC 274 last weekend. The 29-year-old took just over two…
UFC flyweight Brandon Royval isn’t happy that his title ambitions will be put on ice by the proposed interim title fight between Brandon Moreno and Kai Kara France.
Royval is back among the flyweight division’s top five after making a statement against Matt Schnell at UFC 274 last weekend. The 29-year-old took just over two minutes to sink in a guillotine choke and notch up his second successive victory.
Royval is now very much in the flyweight title picture, having successfully rebounded from back-to-back losses against Moreno and Alexandre Pantoja. The Colorado native seems to have recaptured the rich vein of form that saw him earn submission wins over Tim Elliot and Kai Kara France following his UFC debut in 2020.
Royval Rues Bad Timing Of Proposed Interim Title Fight
Royval’s title ambitions, however, will likely be hampered by doings other than his own. “Raw Dawg” is expected to face #3 ranked Pantoja in August, and if he wins, will surely be next in line for a title shot. However, with an interim title fight between Moreno and Kara France in the works for July, the prospect of a long wait to face champ Deiveson Figueiredo beckons for Royval.
Speaking to MMA News, Royval says that while he’s looking forward to watching the interim bout, he’s ruing the fact that it will likely hold up his title ambitions, and that his resurgence hadn’t come sooner.
“The matchup’s gonna be good, man,” said Royval. “I’m sure they’re both gonna bring it. It’s one of those that it’s like, I wish I could’ve earned my spot in there quicker, but it is what it is. It kinda sucks for me, in my position, ’cause it holds up the division for me, ’cause the winner of this fight is gonna go on and probably fight Figgy next… I just wish it was at a sooner date. I wish they’d just schedule that next month.”
There is, however, a glimmer of hope that Royval can bypass the wait for a title shot. If either Moreno or Kara France are forced to pull out of their interim bout, Brandon is more than willing to step in.
“I’m gonna stay on weight,” said Royval. “If any of those guys get hurt, man, I’m just gonna be ready at all times. Why not? If I know anything about this sport, the biggest opportunities don’t come with a lot of notice. Big opportunities come with short notice and always being ready… stay ready ’cause you never know what’s gonna happen.”
What do you think? Will Brandon Royval soon be fighting for the flyweight title?
An interim flyweight championship rematch between former undisputed division champion, Brandon Moreno, and the surging contender, Kai Kara-France has been booked to feature at UFC 277 on July 30. At the time of publication, an official location or venue for the event has yet to be determined by the organization. Brandon Moreno holds a prior […]
An interim flyweight championship rematch between former undisputed division champion, Brandon Moreno, and the surging contender, Kai Kara-France has been booked to feature at UFC 277 on July 30. At the time of publication, an official location or venue for the event has yet to be determined by the organization.
Brandon Moreno holds a prior unanimous judging win over Kai Kara-France
Initially meeting at UFC 245 in December 2019, former flyweight champion, Brandon Moreno handed City Kickboxing standout, Kai Kara-France a unanimous decision defeat in an early preliminary card showdown.
Turning in his third straight victory back in March, Kara-France scooped the #2 rank at 125lbs with a unanimous decision title-eliminator win over Askar Askarov at UFC Columbus over the course of three rounds. Per Ariel Helwani, the aforenoted Figueiredo is still recovering from an injury to his finger, resulting in the introduction of an interim title fight between Brandon Moreno and Kai Kara-France.
19-6-2 as a professional, Moreno who has achieved gold during his second tenure with the organization, managed to successfully clinch the undisputed crown in the co-main event of UFC 263 back in June of last year – defeating Figueiredo with a third round rear-naked choke.
The pair initially met in the headliner of UFC 256 in December of 2020, with Figueiredo retaining his championship after the bout was judging a majority draw following a point deduction against the Brazilian due to an illegal groin strike.
Before his draw with Figueiredo, Moreno had embarked on his winning run with his judging success against Kara-France, as well as lodging other victories against Jussier Formiga, and a finish against recent UFC 274 winner, Brandon Royval.
24-9(1) as a professional, before his win over common-foe, Askarov earlier this year, Kara-France stopped former undisputed bantamweight champion, Cody Garbrandt, in the latter’s flyweight bow – adding to another knockout success against Rogerio Bontorin.