If fortune truly does favor the bold, watch out for flyweight prospect Lone’er Kavanagh in the main event of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night card in Mexico City.
Kavanagh (9-1), the 26-year-old from London who fights out of the Great Britain Top Team gym, agreed to replace the injured Asu Almabayev on just three weeks’ notice and face former two-time flyweight champion Brandon Moreno inside Arena CDMX.
In his opponent’s backyard. In the first five-round bout of his career. Fresh off of a knockout defeat to Charles Johnson last August in the first loss of his career. Not to mention, at an elevation of over 7,000 feet.
“It’s an amazing opportunity and it’s one of these things that I pray for. So, for it to come up, I have to take it,” Kavanagh told CBS Sports HQ on Tuesday. “There was no hesitation, whatsoever [to accept the fight]. Obviously, I had to talk it over with my team to make sure that we were all on the same page. Once we were, it was go time.”
Just like Kavanagh, the 32-year-old Moreno will also be looking to bounce back from defeat just two months removed from a second-round TKO loss to Tatsuro Taira — the first stoppage loss of Moreno’s 34-fight pro career — that elevated Taira to the title level where he will face Joshua Van at UFC 327 in April. But the Kavanagh defeat has some odd synergy with that of Van’s first UFC loss.
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Van, the 24-year-old sensation from Myanmar who upset Alexandre Pantoja for the flyweight title in December, also lost by knockout against Charles Johnson in 2024 to snap a red-hot start to his UFC career that began with three straight wins in the span of seven months. Like Kavanagh, Van simply got caught against a dangerous fighter and returned to action quickly just two months later to begin a run of six straight wins over the next 15 months.
Kavanagh had plenty of success in the first round against Johnson last summer but was caught backing up with his hands down along the cage in Round 2 and suffered a flash knockout on a sweeping right hook.
“Obviously, for me, it’s about getting better in every fight,” Kavanagh reported. “Unfortunately, I didn’t get the result I wanted in the last fight but there is now stuff to work on. And that’s what I have done from my last fight until right now, it’s always self improving.”
Before making a splash on “The Dana White Contender Series” in 2024, when he knocked out An Tuan Ho in just over two minutes to earn a UFC contract, Kavanagh’s name first began to generate buzz in the U.K.-based Cage Warriors promotion, where he won four straight fights beginning in 2022. It’s the same respected European regional promotion that helped catapult both Conor McGregor and Paddy Pimblett into star runs inside the Octagon.
Kavanagh considers the path of both fighters as an inspiration for his own journey.
“Of course, coming through the Cage Warriors platform, they set a path to get to the UFC,” Kavanagh reported. “They set a blueprint. Even my teammate, [UFC featherweight] Nathaniel Wood, came up the same way. So, it’s just about following the blueprint.”
Despite a recent TKO loss (and one that Moreno still believes came via an early stoppage), the former two-time flyweight king and first Mexican-born champion in UFC history remains the betting favorite. Moreno, a native of Tijuana who now fights out of Las Vegas, has advantages in everything from experience to fighting in front of a passionate home crowd.
Still, Kavanagh believes timing is everything. He remains confident about his skills and isn’t against going toe-to-toe with Moreno for as long as the five-round bout lasts in order to prove he’s the next-big thing at 125 pounds.
“I think it’s my mindset, my speed, my timing and my power [that give me an advantage over Moreno,]” Kavanagh reported. “It’s not just about fight IQ. I have an amazing team behind me and we have worked hard for this. It’s all going to show on Saturday night.
“I want to look back on my life and see that I’ve done some cool stuff. The big thing for me is legacy and this is a legendary moment, so I’m looking forward to it It just brings me one step closer to the title and that’s what I want. I’m here to get to the top as quick as I can and I’m looking to do whatever it takes to get there.”
Asked whether he believes he’s getting Moreno at the right time so close to a recent defeat, Kavanagh’s answer was telling.
“In terms of catching him at the right time, I don’t think there is a right time or a wrong time,” Kavanagh reported. It’s just my time.”
