Kiwi Kai Kara-France has come in on weight to lock in his interim flyweight title showdown against former champion Brendon Moreno at UFC 277 on Sunday (NZ time).
The pair will meet for a second time in the co-main event at Dallas, where a belt and the opportunity to unify it against reigning champion Deiveson Figueiredo - who's currently sidelined with injury - will be at stake.
Moreno and Figueiredo swapped the flyweight title back and forth, with the latter regaining the title in January. Figueiredo asked for a bit more time to conduct what would be the fourth fight between the two, but UFC president Dana White declined and made this interim bout instead.
Both fighters came in half a pound below the 125lb division mark, before squaring off one final time before they meet inside the Octagon, with the Kiwi laser-focused in a deathly stare inches from the Mexican's face.
In 2019, 'The Assassin Baby' got the better of the City Kickboxing sparkplug via unanimous decision but both men have improved considerably since. Sunday's bout is almost guaranteed to produce fireworks at the American Airlines Center, where a partisan crowd of Mexicans will be in Moreno's corner.
"I'm a long way from home out here in Dallas, Texas," Kara-France told the crowd at the ceremonial weigh-ins on Saturday. "I know I'm fighting your boy, but by the end of the night, you'll all be on my hype train, so 'Don't Blink' baby."
Kara-France's teammate Blood Diamond also came in on weight for his sophomore Octagon appearance against Orion Cosce on the early preliminary portion of Sunday's card. The Kiwi-Zimbabwean lost his debut against Jeremiah Wells back in February.
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