The flyweight champion Brandon Moreno and Kai Kara-France will square off in Saturday’s UFC 277 co-main event. This match is a rematch of the 2019 contest, which Moreno prevailed over Kara-France by unanimous decision. Since then, both boxers have advanced significantly. The UFC title was won (and then dropped) by Moreno. Meanwhile, Kara-France is on a three-fight winning streak.
Will the past repeat again, or will Kara-France make the necessary changes to win his first championship? Read on to know all about Brandon Moreno vs kai kara France Prediction, Odds, Purse Payout, PPV Share, Live streaming, Preview, Fight Card.
Fighter Stats
| Moreno | Kara-France | |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 19-6-2 | 24-9 |
| Avg. Fight Time | 14:55 | 11:34 |
| Height | 5’7″ | 5’4″ |
| Weight (pounds) | 125 lbs. | 125 lbs. |
| Reach (inches) | 70″ | 69″ |
| Stance | Orthodox | Orthodox |
| Date of birth | 12/7/1993 | 3/26/1993 |
| Sig Strikes Per Min | 3.54 | 4.84 |
| SS Accuracy | 39% | 40% |
| SS Absorbed Per Min | 3.31 | 3.51 |
| SS Defense | 57% | 65% |
| Take Down Avg | 1.84 | 0.43 |
| TD Acc | 47% | 21% |
| TD Def | 69% | 86% |
| Submission Avg | 0.7 | 0.0 |
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Preview – Brandon Moreno (19-6-2 MMA, 7-3-2 UFC)
Brandon Moreno hasn’t fought anyone other than current UFC 125-pound champion Deivison Figueiredo in nearly two years, and he now holds a 1-1-1 record against the latter. If the champion hadn’t been hurt, which caused an interim flyweight championship to be created, he’d probably be facing Figueiredo for an unusual fourth fight in a row.
Moreno has a well-rounded game that has gotten better over the course of his time in the UFC. He came into the promotion more of a grappler, and he won both of his first two submission victories in the UFC.
But since then, he’s significantly improved his striking, employing a loud boxing approach while sprinkling in sporadic kicks. Despite having below-average power overall, Moreno was able to drop Figueiredo once during his triumph.
He is also incredibly resilient and has never lost in a sanctioned match, despite being submitted while competing on The Ultimate Fighter.
Additionally, Moreno has great cardio and tends to get stronger as fights go on. Moreno took the fifth round on one of three scorecards in his first fight with Figueiredo, which ended in a draw. The lone round Moreno won in his decision defeat to the champion was the fifth.
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Preview – Kai Kara-France (24-9 MMA, 7-2 UFC)
Kara-France has never taken part in a fight of five rounds. In his last three victories, Kara-France has knocked out opponents twice in the first round.
Kara-France won the first round of their first encounter with Moreno before dropping the following two.
However, Kara-France definitely has the winning advantage in this one. He has undoubtedly the best power in the flyweight division and boasts a knockdown rate that is more than three times that of Moreno.
Additionally, he is a product of Australia’s City Kickboxing, the gym that produced champions and dangerous strikers Israel Adesanya and Alexander Volkanovski. The gym has also done an excellent job of improving their fighters’ ground game. That was made clear in Kara France’s recent battle, in which he avoided Askar Askarov’s takedowns despite being a skilled wrestler.
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Brandon Moreno vs kai kara France Prediction
Picks for UFC 277 Moreno vs Kai. At DraftKings, Kara-France is a +185 Moneyline favourite but a +500 underdog to prevail. That is my preferred pre-fight wager on this match because the odds should be much closer.
Kara-France has a strong takedown defence, so even though Moreno is probably the better grappler in this matchup, I’m handicapping it as a striking-only (or at least largely) contest.
As he showed in their first encounter, Kara-France ought to have the upper hand right away. He is capable of a single knockout. He probably outpaces Moreno in terms of speed as well.
However, speed and power deteriorate over the course of a fight, and Kara-cardio France’s into the championship rounds is at best suspect. That gives Moreno the advantage late, both in terms of striking and the potential to submit a worn-out Kara-France.
As a result, most of Kara-winning France’s conditions ought to be within striking distance. The lines are near enough that even though it’ll probably be by knockout.
Moreno vs kai kara Live Streaming Details – Where to watch?
United States (ET): 11:30 PM on ESPN and Star +
