''UFC on ESPN: Kara-France vs. Albazi'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 46'' or ''UFC Vegas 74'') was a

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

event produced by the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

that took place on June 3, 2023, at the

UFC Apex UFC Apex (stylised as UFC APEX) is a live events and production center in Enterprise, Nevada, operated and owned by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). The facility was chosen in part due to its close proximity to the UFC Performance Instit ...

facility in Enterprise, Nevada, part of the

Las Vegas Metropolitan Area The Las Vegas Valley is a major metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada, and the second largest in the Southwestern United States. The state's largest urban agglomeration, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Statistical Area is ...

, United States.

Background

A middleweight bout between

Jack Hermansson Jack Berndhard Hermansson (born 10 June 1988) is a Swedish and Norwegian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is the former middleweight champion i ...

and former LFA Middleweight Champion

Brendan Allen Brendan Allen (born December 28, 1995) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional since 2015, he has also competed for the Legacy Fighting Alliance ...

was expected to headline the event. However, Hermansson withdrew in late April due to an undisclosed injury and the bout was scratched. Allen was eventually rescheduled against Bruno Silva at UFC on ABC: Emmett vs. Topuria on June 25. As a result, a scheduled flyweight bout between former interim

UFC Flyweight Championship Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...

challenger

Kai Kara-France James Kaiwhare Kara-France (born March 26, 1993) is a New Zealand professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Flyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of August 1, 2022, he is #3 in the UFC flyweight ...

and

Amir Albazi Amir Albazi (born October 27, 1993) is an Iraqi mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight division of the UFC. As of December 19, 2022, he is #7 in the UFC flyweight rankings. Early life Amir was born in Baghdad. When he was seven ...

was promoted to main event status. Former

challenger (also The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions flyweight winner)

Tim Elliott Timothy Samuel Elliott (born December 24, 1986) is an American mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is the former Titan FC Flyweight Champion. He has been profes ...

and Allan Nascimento were expected to meet in a flyweight bout at the event. However on April 28, Nascimento pulled out due to undisclosed reasons and was replaced by former LFA Flyweight Champion Victor Altamirano. Former

Strikeforce Strike Force may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games * ''Strike Force'' (video game), a 1991 arcade game *'' Commandos: Strike Force'', a 2006 video game *'' Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce'', a 2009 video game *''Marvel Strike Force'', ...

and UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion Miesha Tate was expected to face

Mayra Bueno Silva Mayra Bueno Silva (born August 22, 1991) is a Brazilian female mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of March 7, 2023, she is #10 in the UFC women's bantamweight rankings. Backg ...

in a women's bantamweight contest. However on May 10, it was announced that Tate suffered an undisclosed injury and Bueno Silva was moved to headline UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Bueno Silva against another former champion in

Holly Holm Holly Rene Holm (born October 17, 1981) is an American mixed martial artist, who competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. She is the former UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion, and a former professional boxer. She was a multiple-time wor ...

. A featherweight bout between David Onama and Khusein Askhabov was expected to take place at this event. However, Askhabov withdrew for unknown reasons. Onama was instead rescheduled to face Gabriel Santos at UFC on ABC: Emmett vs. Topuria. Jim Miller and

Ľudovít Klein Ľudovít Klein (born February 22, 1995) is a Slovak mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Ľudovít Klein was born in Nové Zámky, where he also started his sports care ...

were expected to meet in a lightweight bout. However, Klein pulled out on May 19 due to illness and was replaced by

Jared Gordon Jared Gordon (born September 6, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist. He was the lightweight champion of Duelo De Gigantes in Mexico and featherweight champion for Cage Fury Fighting Championships in United States. He competes in the lightwe ...

. In turn, Gordon was pulled from the bout on the week of the event after not being medically cleared and was replaced by promotional newcomer Jesse Butler. A lightweight bout between

Jamie Mullarkey Jamie Mullarkey (born 17 August 1994) is an Australian mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Mullarkey grew up in Central Coast area, attending Erina High School. He beg ...

and Guram Kutateladze was scheduled for this event. However, Kutateladze withdrew from the bout due to visa issues and was replaced by Muhammad Naimov. A bantamweight bout between

John Castañeda John Anthony Castañeda (born December 18, 1991) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2012, he formerly competed for Combate G ...

and Mateus Mendonça was scheduled to take place at this event. However, Mendonça withdrew from the bout citing an injury and was replaced by Muin Gafurov.

Results

Bonus awards

The following fighters received $50,000 bonuses. *Fight of the Night: Alex Caceres vs. Daniel Pineda *Performance of the Night: Jim Miller and Muhammad Naimov

References

{{2023 in mixed martial arts UFC on ESPN 2023 in mixed martial arts Ultimate Fighting Championship events in Las Vegas June 2023 sports events in the United States 2023 in sports in Nevada Events in Enterprise, Nevada

Background

Results

Bonus awards

See also

References