"I'm still one of the best flyweights in the world" - Kai Kara-France promises he "ain't going anywhere" after loss to Brandon Moreno
Kai Kara-France had a chance to win the interim UFC flyweight belt for the first time in his career at UFC 277. Taking on Brandon Moreno in the co-main event, Kara-France entered hoping to win the flyweight interim title and guarantee himself a shot to unify the title against Deiveson Figueiredo.
Kara-France, who previously lost to Moreno at UFC 245 in a unanimous decision, entered the bout as the No.2- ranked flyweight in the UFC. Kara-France was looking to reach the top of a division that his coach, Eugene Bareman, called the best in the sport.
Unfortunately for Kara-France, things did not work out as planned as he lost via technical knockout. Moreno was able to land a liver kick in the third-round that dropped Kara-France and immediately began to ground-and-pound his opponent until referee Herb Dean stepped in and called the fight.
Kara-France took to Twitter the following morning to announce that he isn't going anywhere:
We came up short but I ain’t going anywhere. Im still one of the best flyweights in the world. Congrats to @theassassinbaby you are a warrior! Special thanks to my team/ coaches at @citykickboxing. Friends and family back home I appreciate all the love and support. We’ll be back! https://t.co/Ao2IAkX7wY
Will Kai Kara-France get another title shot?
Despite the tough loss, Kai Kara-France remains confident that he will be back, and for good reason. Before a vicious liver kick from Moreno in the third-round, the fight was very close. The official stats backed this up as Kara-France landed more strikes, scored a takedown, and entered the third-round with more significant strikes.
The official scorecard released by the UFC showed that the judges felt the match was closely contested. Both fighters were up on one scorecard each, while the third judge had both fighters taking a round:
: ufc.ac/3JiSRWH
#UFC277 Official Scorecard: Brandon Moreno (@TheAssassinBaby) vs Kai Kara-France
All Scorecards from Dallas➡️: ufc.ac/3JiSRWH https://t.co/cK9rY8OPqb
Although Kai Kara-France was unable to make it out of the third-round, the fight displayed that he is ready to compete at the championship level. His City Kickboxing teammate, Israel Adesanya, felt that Kara-France had nothing to hang his head about despite not capturing the interim flyweight belt.
His opponent Moreno stated, while sporting a nasty cut underneath his right eye, that he has a lot of respect for Kara-France. This should come as no surprise following a post-fight embrace in the octagon and an entertaining match-up that won "Fight of the Night."
Moreno is now destined to fight Figueiredo for the fourth time after picking up the interim title. The two faced off in the octagon following Moreno's victory. For Kara-France, a title-eliminator fight with No.4-ranked flyweight Alexandre Pantoja makes a lot of sense. Pantoja, who picked up a submission victory over Alex Perez, is on the cusp of a title shot.
Although Pantoja defeated Kara-France on Season 24 of The Ultimate Fighter in 2016, both fighters have grown tremendously since then and it'd be an intriguing matchup.