Britain’s Lone’er Kavanagh produced the biggest victory of his career by defeating former UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno in Mexico City.
Kavanagh, who accepted the bout on just three weeks’ notice, delivered a composed performance to win by unanimous decision — 49-46, 48-47 and 48-47.
Unranked heading into the contest, the 26-year-old’s victory over sixth-ranked Moreno — achieved in front of the Mexican’s home crowd — is expected to propel him towards the upper tier of the flyweight division.
“I said before this fight — I live for legendary moments,” Kavanagh said.
“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.”
Late call-up delivers statement win
Kavanagh stepped in after Moreno’s original opponent, Asu Almabayev, withdrew through injury.
The Briton was coming off the first defeat of his 11-fight career — against Charles Johnson in August — but made a confident start against the experienced Moreno.
Sharp leg kicks kept Moreno at distance early on, before Kavanagh landed a flurry of punches midway through the second round that visibly hurt the former champion.
Moreno enjoyed his strongest spell in the third round, but Kavanagh reasserted control with more punishing kicks and disciplined defence, successfully fending off several late takedown attempts to seal the decision.
The win marked the 10th of Kavanagh’s professional career, while Moreno suffered a fourth defeat in his past six outings.
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