The next big reveal of UFC fights in July may see flyweight Kai Kara-France in the title spotlight.
According to several reports, one notably by MMA reporter Ariel Helwani via Twitter, the Ngāti Kahungunu fighter will meet Brandon Moreno (19-6-2 draws) in an interim flyweight championship belt at the end of July this year for UFC 277.
It is the shot that Kara-France (24-9-0) has been calling for a while, ever since knocking out bantamweight veteran Cody Garbrandt last year and winning via decision over then-undefeated Askar Askarov during Kai's birthday in March this year.
If confirmed, it will be three title fights for three of City Kickboxing's best fighters within the same month. Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and featherweight champ Alex Volkanovski are set to defend their golds as main events on UFC 276 on July 3 [NZ time]. It will also see #2 (Kara-France) vs #1 (Moreno) in what would no doubt an all-out flyweight war.
The last time the Mexican and Māori fighters met in the octagon saw Brandon Moreno win by points over Kara-France in December 2019.
Moreno's last three fights have been for the title, and against Brazilian rival Deiveson Figueiredo, who is the current champion. Their first meeting was a draw in late 2020, and the second fight had Figueiredo tapping out to Moreno last year in June for his first taste of UFC gold. Unfortunately, the third fight did not go Moreno's way, with Figueiredo reclaiming the flyweight title.
Figueiredo has said he has wanted to fight Kara-France next when he took back the title from Moreno. The Brazilian champion has made no comment so far about the interim title fight reports.