Molly Kavanagh stuns Brandon Moreno at UFC Fight Night

Britain’s Lone’er Kavanagh claimed the biggest victory of his career with a stunning upset over former UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno in Mexico City.

Taking the bout on just three weeks’ notice, the 26-year-old produced a composed and mature performance to secure a unanimous decision, with the judges scoring it 49-46, 48-47 and 48-47.

Unranked heading into the contest, Kavanagh’s triumph over the sixth-ranked Moreno, achieved in front of the Mexican’s passionate home support, is expected to propel him firmly into flyweight contention.

Describing the win as a dream come true, Kavanagh called it a “legendary moment” to share the octagon with a fighter he had admired growing up.

“I said before this fight – I live for legendary moments,” he said. “This is a legendary moment. Brandon is a legend. Two-time world champion. I’m a big fan. I watched him when I was a kid. To get to fight him is amazing.”

Kavanagh stepped in to face Moreno after Moreno’s original opponent, Asu Almabayev, withdrew through injury. The Briton was coming off the first defeat of his professional career against Charles Johnson in August, but showed no signs of hesitation.

He established control early with sharp leg kicks and stunned Moreno with a flurry of punches in the second round.

Although Moreno rallied in the third, Kavanagh regained command, defending multiple takedown attempts before seeing out a memorable victory.

It marked the 10th win of Kavanagh’s 11-fight career, while Moreno suffered his fourth defeat in six outings.