John McCarthy recaps Brandon Moreno’s UFC 275 knockout

“Big” John McCarthy has explained how Kai Kara-France must have felt after being physically kicked by Brandon Moreno at the end of the fight. “The Assassin Baby” defeated Kara-France in the third round of their hard-fought bout at UFC 277 on July 30. The end came thanks to a thunderous kick to the liver that knocked out the New Zealand fighter. The Mexican Moreno followed up with a few punches and asked the referee to intervene and end the fight.

Moreno defeated Kara-France via TKO in the third round to capture the interim UFC flyweight title – he had previously defeated Kara-France by unanimous decision in 2019.

He did it with the Body Kick! 🏆Brandon Moreno brings the UFC Flyweight Title back to Mexico! 🔥🇲🇽#UFC277

On the weigh in Podcast, former MMA referee John McCarthy and former UFC lightweight Josh Thomson praised Moreno and Kara-France for their incredible performances at UFC 277.

Thomson noted that the liver kick paralyzes a fighter. He added that they should flip a switch in their mind and try to keep fighting while hoping the crippling pain will subside.

John McCarthy compared fighting after being shot to the liver to fighting while vomiting. The MMA pioneer explained:

“The easiest way I can explain it to people is: Remember trying to fight while you’re throwing up… Your body’s stopping when you’re in this… That’s what [it is]but it is more painful.”

Watch McCarthy discuss the topic at 35:45 in the following video:

John McCarthy believes Kai Kara-France beat Brandon Moreno before the sudden stoppage

On the same edition of the weigh in Podcast, McCarthy specifically stated that Kai Kara-France would beat Brandon Moreno before the sudden stoppage at UFC 277. McCarthy emphasized that the fight was competitive throughout.

He commended Kara-France for ripping open a deep gash in Moreno’s face with a superb elbow. McCarthy pointed out that just before the liver kick he felt Moreno was pushing a little too much and the fight went exactly how Kara-France wanted it. McCarthy said:

“You have to love both boys. I love Kai Kara-France and I love his attitude and I love what he was trying to do there. Sometimes, man, he won that fight – beautiful stick and move, good accuracy. He had power. He made Brandon Moreno respect him.”

Watch McCarthy discuss the topic at 32:24 in the following video:

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Despite his defeat, Kai Kara-France remains as confident as ever and has vowed to return in triumph. It is unclear who he will fight next. Meanwhile, interim UFC Flyweight Champion Brandon Moreno is expected to next face UFC Flyweight Champion Deiveson Figueiredo in a unification matchup.