Author: Chandra Moulee Das
Amir Albazi beat Kai Kara-France by split decision in the flyweight division at UFC Vegas 74 on Saturday night.
In the first minute, the two fighters assessed each other and exchanged right jabs. Albazi tried a takedown, but Kara-France defended successfully and landed a blow on the break. In the final minute, Kara-France found his rhythm, landing effective shots and frustrating his opponent, gaining momentum.
In the second round, Albazi applied pressure and concentrated on preparing his right hand. He threw Kara-France’s head back with a hard jab, but Kara-France hit back with a chopping low kick and a 1-2-1 combination. Kara-France successfully defended another takedown attempt and threw punches as he moved away from the cage, connecting with a right hand and another low kick.
The third round began with Kara-France throwing a solid low kick, but Albazi managed to get a deep takedown attempt. Despite Kara-France’s resistance, Albazi eventually gained top position, locked up a body triangle and started punching, coming close to securing a rear naked choke. Kara-France quickly got up, reversed position and ended up on top for a brief moment. With just 30 seconds left, Kara-France landed a kick and got a takedown, but kept control on top for just a few seconds.
In the championship round, Kara-France maintained an aggressive approach. Although Albazi landed a significant counter-punch with his right hand, Kara-France absorbed it without too much trouble.
With five minutes to go, it was hard to predict who was ahead on the scoreboard. Kara-France started the last round with a flurry of punches, landing several hard right hands. Although Albazi landed a solid right hand, he was clearly behind in terms of blows landed. Kara-France finished the fight strongly, landing several right hands to complete his impressive performance.
Surprisingly, the judges’ decision didn’t favor Kara-France. Despite the highly competitive nature of the fight, it seemed that Kara-France dominated the last two rounds and should have been awarded the victory.