Flyweight five rounder! Kai Kara-France vs. Amir Albazi promoted to UFC Vegas 74 main event

It may have taken another fight falling out, but Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Flyweight contenders are finally being featured in the headline slot of an upcoming ESPN+-streamed event.

The last time Flyweights were featured as the main event was at UFC 256 in Dec. 2020, when Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno fought to a majority draw in the first fight of their historic quadrilogy. You’d think that would have signaled the start of a new era of respect for the 125-pound division, but it has taken 100 events for a Flyweight fight to sit atop a UFC card once again.

It wouldn’t have happened without UFC Vegas 74’s original main event getting canceled.

Middleweights Jack Hermansson and Brendan Allen were originally set to headline the June 3rd event at the UFC Apex, but an undisclosed injury to Hermansson has scuttled that bout. Now, No. 3-seeded Flyweight, Kai Kara-France, will face No. 7-ranked Amir Albazi as the new top fight. News of Hermansson’s injury was originally reported by MMAmania.com, while Kara-France relayed news of the upgrade on the Who The Fook Are These Guys? podcast.

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HIGH STAKES FLYWEIGHT MATCHUP! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns home to UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sat., June 3, 2023, with No. 3-seeded contender, Kai Kara-France, face rising No. 7-ranked Amir Albazi. In UFC Vegas 74’s ESPN+-streamed co-main event, an exciting Featherweight bout sees No. 15-ranked contender, Alex Caceres, lock horns with all-action Daniel Pineda.

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“I’ve just found out that my next fight, I’m the headline now, it’s five rounds,” Kara-France said. “I’m gonna go out there and remind everyone why I’m the best in the world!”

“Don’t Blink” is looking to bounce back after a disappointing interim Flyweight title fight defeat to the aforementioned Moreno. While he looked good throughout the fight, Moreno clipped Kara-France with a liver kick that dropped the tough New Zealand fighter. After some ground-and-pound, the referee stepped in to stop the fight at 4:34 of round three (watch highlights here).

Albazi, meanwhile, has made quite the impact since arriving in UFC halfway through 2020. The 15-1 fighter is on a four-fight win streak in the promotion with his last win over Alessandro Costa coming via violent knockout. Kara-France is definitely the toughest fighter Albazi has ever faced, though.

Also on the card: a women’s Bantamweight bout between Miesha Tate and Mayra Bueno Silva, and a Lightweight scrap between Jim Miller and Ludovit Klein. It’s unclear at this point whether former Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) champion, Brendan Allen, will still be competing at the event.

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