Brandon Moreno and Kai Kara-France meet for the second time, with their first duel finishing in Moreno’s favor. It happened in 2017 when we saw the Mexican win by unanimous decision. Five years later, oddsmakers think he’s going to do it again.
If that happens, we could see him get another shot at the UFC Flyweight championship belt, which he lost last January. It was Moreno’s last fight and he’d love to bounce back to the winning track straight away. Knowing that he’s only once lost back-to-back fights, winning against Kara-France looks like a strong possibility.
Still, judging by how the New Zealand native’s been fighting lately, anything can happen in Saturday’s bout.
Brandon Moreno vs Kai Kara-France UFC 277 Odds
All odds are per FanDuel as of July 26.
Moneyline
| Brandon Moreno | -220 |
| Kai Kara-France | +168 |
Where and When to Watch
- Date: Saturday, July 30
- Time: ~10:00 PM EDT
- Location: American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas
- Watch: ESPN+, PPV
Brandon Moreno’s Road to the Title Starts With UFC 277
After winning the WFF Flyweight Championship (and defending it three times), Brandon Moreno inked a deal with the UFC in 2016. He made his debut in October of the same year, winning his first UFC fight and earning the Performance of the Night bonus.
From there, he went on to win another five UFC fights (while also losing two and drawing one), before the UFC gave him a chance to fight for the title. His first UFC title bout happened in December 2020 when he fought against Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 256.
The fight resulted in a majority draw, which meant that a rematch was going to be played. It happened six months later, and Moreno won by submission in Round 3. However, in January 2022, he lost his title in the final part of the trilogy fight with Figueiredo.
He’s no longer the champ but he’s the #1 ranked fighter in the UFC flyweight rankings. If he wins on Saturday, he’ll probably get to fight for the title once again. If he losses, however, things could get complicated for him.
Kai Kara-France Chance to Move Up in the Rankings
With a 24-9 record in his professional career, Kai Kara-France is sitting in the #8 position in the flyweight rankings. However, he’s gotten in the UFC spotlight recently thanks to a couple of impressive performances inside the octagon.
Kara-France is 3-0 in the previous three fights, winning the Performance of the Night bonus for two of those bouts. If something similar happens on Saturday, the New Zealander will establish himself as one of the top title contenders. That’s more than enough of a motivation for him to go all-in at UFC 277.
Brandon Moreno vs Kai Kara-France Prediction
According to UFC insider Laura Sanko who trains in the same gym as Moreno, the former champ has never been in such good shape as today. He’s reportedly spent the last couple of months training relentlessly to prepare for this fight.
We already know that he’s got the skills to defeat literally anyone in the division and now we know he also has the physique to do so. That said, anything but a dominant win for Moreno would be a major shock.
Pick: Brandon Moreno by submission