Brandon Moreno was crowned the flyweight division’s interim champion tonight at UFC 277 after he floored Kai Kara-France with a liver kick in the third round and sealed aTKO finish with ground-and-pound.
Round One:
Inside leg kick for Kara-France. Moreno slowly circles on the outside. Kara-France misses with a jab and leg kick. Moreno pawing the air with his jab. Moreno steps into a punch.
Overhand left from Moreno, but he receives a groin kick at the same time and winces in pain and backs off, before being given time to recover.
Back to it they go. Head kick attempt from Moreno. Lull in the action and then Moreno again goes for a high kick that’s blocked.
Leg kick for Moreno. Glancing left hook from him now. Now it’s Moreno who has the center of the Octagon. Kara-France with a kick though.
Overhand right from Kara-France now. Moreno clinches up and presses him into the cage. Kara-France does well to escape and get back to striking range.
Glancing left kick from Kara-France and Moreno counters immediately with punches.
Another leg kick for Kara-France. Moreno pressures forward with strikes. Moreno charges forward and lands a front kick to the body as Kara-France tries to land a counter punch.
Round Two:
Kara-France steps into a hook. Moreno looking for a takedown, but Kara-France defends it and breaks free.
They exchange leg kicks. Moreno with a high kick that’s blocked. They trade jabs. Head kick attempt from Kara-France, but Moreno gets underneath it and moves around to his opponent’s back.
Kara-France does well to defend this and then break free. Moreno tries for a takedown and it’s stuffed. Head kick attempt from Moreno.
Moreno with a right hook. Now a one-two lands for him. Leg kick for Kara-France and one in return from Moreno.
Nice jab for Moreno. Body kick for Kara-France and Moreno fires back. Another brief exchange of punches between the two.
Moreno attempts a head kick and misses, but Kara-France lands a low kick at the same time that knocks him off his feet for a moment.
Leg kick for Kara-France. Moreno gets in his face with punches and a kick as he tries to press the action.
Round Three:
Leg kick for Kara-France. Moreno tries for a body kick, but Kara-France catches it and sweeps him to the mat. Kara-France in Moreno’s guard. Kara-France lands an elbow and Moreno is bleeding. More punches land as Moreno scrambles back to his feet.
Leg kick for Kara-France. Punch for Moreno. leg kick for Kara-France, punch for Moreno. Leg kick from Moreno. One for Kara-France.
Uppercut for Kara-France. Now a heavy right hand for him. jab for Moreno and a leg kick for Kara-France. Moreno with the jab. Kara-France with the leg kick.
Light leg kick from Kara-France. He tries to punch to the body. Back to the leg kick. Punch for Kara-France. Solid leg kick from Moreno.
Moreno with a one-two. Jab for Moreno. Now a body kick. In close range for a moment Moreno lands an uppercut and a head kick attempt that doesn’t land.
Jab for Moreno, but Kara-France lands his better over the top. Kara-France tries for a single leg, but it’s stuffed.
Moreno pressing forward and lands a big body kick right to the liver and Kara-France crumbles to the mat grimacing in pain.
Moreno swarms on him with punches on the mat and Kara-France can only cover up as he still struggles with the impact of that kick, and that’s it, Moreno is the new interim flyweight champion with a TKO finish at 4.34mins of the third round.
