Lone'er Kavanagh shocks Brandon Moreno as lone'er kavanagh wins in Mexico City
lone'er kavanagh secured the biggest victory of his career in Mexico City, upsetting former UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno by unanimous decision. The 26-year-old Brit, who took the fight on just three weeks' notice, won by scores of 49-46, 48-47 and 48-47.
Lone'er Kavanagh's path to upset
Britain's Lone'er Kavanagh was unranked heading into the contest but earned a major leap toward the top of the division by defeating the sixth-ranked Moreno in front of the Mexican's home fans. The win was the 10th of Kavanagh's 11-fight career and moves on the heels of a recent setback: Kavanagh came into the contest after the first defeat of his 11-fight career against Charles Johnson in August.
Fight taken on three weeks' notice
Kavanagh accepted the bout after his original opponent, Asu Almabayev, withdrew because of injury. With only three weeks to prepare, Kavanagh delivered a measured and mature performance across five rounds, improving his UFC ledger to having won three of his four UFC fights.
Round-by-round: leg kicks and punches
Kavanagh took control in the early stages by keeping Moreno at bay with a series of leg kicks. He then hurt Moreno with a flurry of punches midway through the second round. Moreno found more success in the third round, but Kavanagh regained control later with further thudding leg kicks and defended a number of takedowns to preserve his advantage through the closing rounds.
Scores, record and rankings
The judges returned unanimous decision tallies of 49-46, 48-47 and 48-47 in favor of Kavanagh. Kavanagh, 26, now sits with 10 wins in 11 career fights, while Moreno suffered his fourth defeat in his past six fights. Moreno is identified in the contest as a two-time world champion and was the sixth-ranked fighter in the division at the time of the bout.
Reaction and 'legendary moment' quote
Kavanagh offered a running commentary on the significance of the win after the fight. He said: "I said before this fight - I live for legendary moments. This is a legendary moment. Brandon is a legend. Two-time world champ. I'm a big fan. I watched him when I was a kid. To get to fight him is amazing. " The statement underlined how meaningful the upset was to Kavanagh personally and professionally.
The bout formed part of the main card at UFC Mexico and will be recorded in event results as an upset of a former champion by an unranked replacement. The full sequence of events began with Almabayev's withdrawal due to injury, Kavanagh stepping in on three weeks' notice, Kavanagh's early control with leg kicks, the mid-second round flurry of punches that hurt Moreno, Moreno's stronger third round, Kavanagh's late defensive takedown work and the unanimous decision outcome.
With the victory, lone'er kavanagh has advanced his standing inside the division, while Brandon Moreno registered another defeat during a stretch that has seen him lose four of six fights.
