Kara-France, Albazi clash in UFC Fight Night

MANILA, Philippines – The winner between Kai Kara-France and Amir Albazi in UFC Fight Night main event fight on Sunday at the Apex in Las Vegas will end up challenging champion Brandon Moreno.

Kara-France (24-10-0) wants this win so bad after losing to Moreno during their title bout in July 2022. The New Zealander was felled by a kick to the body by Moreno, halting the former’s three-fight winning streak and sending him back home to New Zealand to regroup.

Albazi (16-1-0), who hails from Baghdad, Iraq, but now calls London home, has won all four of his UFC bouts since joining the world’s top combat sports promotion in June 2020.

The 29-year-old Iraqi has alternated first-round submission wins with decision victories.

Albazi has been impressive to say the least, winning his first 11 fights. He saw his streak snapped but he rebounded with a win in Brave CF to get the UFC call-up.

However, this is the first time Albazi will fight a ranked opponent.

With Moreno scheduled to defend his title against Alexandre Pantoja next month and Brandon Royval positioned for the next title opportunity after that, Kara-France and Albazi are competing to secure their place in the pecking order and the title conversation. 

The co-main event will find Alex Caceres (20-13-0) taking on Daniel Pineda (28-14-0, 3 NC) in a featherweight bout.

Other must-watch fights include the Jim Miller (35-17-0) and Jared Gordon (19-6-0) lightweight match, and the Tim Elliot (19-12-1) and Victor Altamirano (12-2-0) pairing in the flyweight division.

UFC Fight Night Kara-France vs. Albazi will air live in the Philippines on Sunday via the Premier Sports channel on Skycable and Cignal, as well as on the TapGo TV streaming application.