Kai Kara-France is the biggest winner from UFC Columbus.
Kai Kara-France entered UFC Columbus as the sixth-ranked flyweight in the UFC. After scoring a decision victory over Askar Askarov, Kara-France might be leaving Columbus as the next flyweight title challenger. That is if it is up to current flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo, who referred to Kara-France as a “dirty kiwi.”
After watching Kara-France’s performance, Figueiredo took to Twitter to congratulate him and suggest he replace Brandon Moreno as the next flyweight challenger. Earlier in the week, Figueiredo and Moreno were rumored to be closing in on a deal to fight for a fourth title fight. However, Figueiredo’s tweet would suggest that those negotiations might have hit a snag.
With his victory on Saturday, Kara-France improved to 24-9, with one no-contest. The victory was Kara-France’s third in a row. After beating the second-ranked Askarov, Kara-France will be moving up in the rankings when they are updated on Monday.
Figueiredo, who tagged UFC President Dana White in his tweet decided to further play matchmaker in his tweet. The Brazilian flyweight champion said that Moreno must avenge his loss to third-ranked flyweight Alexandre Pantoja. Moreno and Pantoja fought on May 19, 2018, with Pantoja winning by decision.
Figueiredo and Moreno fought at UFC 256, 263, and 270. After both fought at UFC 255 and scored first-round finishes, the two agreed to fight on short notice at UFC 256. The first fight between Figueiredo and Moreno was one of the best fights of 2020 but ended in a draw. Six months later, Moreno won the championship after submitting Figueiredo in the third round. At UFC 270, Figueiredo regained the championship, winning by decision.