Tomorrow night in the main event of UFC Vegas 74, we are going to see a battle of top flyweight contenders who will look to take a step towards title contention. Former interim title challenger Kai Kara-France (24-10) is back as he takes on the surging Amir Albazi (16-1).
Amir Albazi has been perfect ever since he stepped foot inside the octagon. The grappling expert was signed to the promotion when he was 12-1. He’s gone a perfect 4-0 thus far with only one fight going to a decision. However, this is a massive step up in competition for Albazi.
We haven’t seen Kai Kara-France since his interim title fight with Brandon Moreno. In that fight, Kara-France got off to a great start and looked like he was poised to grab that interim title. However, a massive body kick ended his night and ended his interim title dreams.
Now, he returns at UFC Vegas 74 looking to bounce back and get right back into the title picture.
UFC Vegas 74 Prediction
There’s no secret as to what each man will look to do tomorrow night. For Amir Albazi, he’s going to look to take advantage of the grappling. He’s going to look to tie up Kara-France and keep things close. Kara-France will look to keep things on the outside where he’ll have the definite striking advantage.
A couple of years ago, I would’ve really liked Albazi in this matchup. However, Kara-France really showed off elite takedown defense in his fight with Askar Askarov and I think that’s only continued to get better. His ability to force scrambles is also going to be a challenge for Albazi.
If the fight was three rounds, I would’ve been a little more torn on my pick. I do think Albazi will get a takedown or two, but I’m not sure he’ll sustain success in the grappling over five rounds. Kara-France is too elusive and slippery to be held down. Ultimately, there’s enough striking where I think Kara-France will pull away.
I’m going to say a tired Amir Albazi gets stopped in the fourth round by Kara-France at UFC Vegas 74.
Prediction: Kai Kara-France by TKO – Round 4