Lone'er Kavanagh upsets former champion Brandon Moreno in Mexico City

lone'er kavanagh, 26, delivered the biggest victory of his career in Mexico City when he upset former UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno by unanimous decision, a result that pushes the British fighter toward the top end of the division.

Lone'er Kavanagh stuns former champion

Kavanagh — unranked heading into the contest — took the fight on just three weeks' notice after Asu Almabayev withdrew because of injury. The bout finished with judges scoring the contest 49-46, 48-47 and 48-47 for Kavanagh, handing Moreno a loss in front of his home fans in Mexico City.

How the fight unfolded

Kavanagh took control in the early stages, keeping Moreno at bay with a series of leg kicks and then landing a flurry of punches that hurt Moreno midway through the second round. Moreno had more success in the third round, but Kavanagh regained control with more thudding leg kicks and saw out the win by defending a number of takedowns.

Career markers and recent form

The win was the 10th of Kavanagh's 11-fight career and moves him closer to the top of the flyweight division — particularly notable because Moreno entered the fight ranked sixth. Kavanagh has won three of his four UFC fights overall, and he arrived at this bout having suffered the first defeat of his 11-fight career against Charles Johnson in August.

Reaction from Kavanagh and the significance

After the fight Kavanagh 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. " For Moreno, the loss marked his fourth defeat in his past six fights.