What’s next for Amir Albazi and Kai Kara-France after UFC Vegas 74?

In the main event of UFC Vegas 74, top-15 flyweights headlined the card as Amir Albazi took on Kai Kara-France.

Albazi entered the fight as a perfect 4-0 in the UFC but hadn’t fought a ranked opponent within the promotion. He was actually scheduled numerous times prior to Saturday night, but those opponents pulled out due to injuries.

Kai Kara-France, meanwhile, was coming off a TKO loss to Brandon Moreno for the interim flyweight title last July at UFC 277.

Ultimately, it was Albazi who won a controversial split decision to pick up the biggest win of his professional career. Now, after UFC Vegas 74, here is what I think should be next for both Amir Albazi and Kai Kara-France.

Amir Albazi

Amir Albazi picked up the biggest win of his career on Saturday night as he scored a split decision win over Kai Kara-France in a very competitive scrap. Even if many – including Adesanya thought it was a robbery – Albazi proved he belongs in the top-five and can hang with the best in the division.

After the win, Albazi called for a title shot but that doesn’t seem likely as Brandon Royval is already slated to face the winner of Brandon Moreno vs. Alexandre Pantoja. As well, this win wasn’t definitive and Dana White wasn’t too impressed so Albazi will likely need another win.

If Figueiredo does stay at flyweight, that should be the fight. However, if that scrap can’t be put together Albazi vs. Manel Kape makes a ton of sense as both are surging contenders and both need a statement win.

Kai Kara-France

Kai Kara-France has now lost two in a row and will need to fight back in the rankings as he looks to string together a couple of wins before getting back into title contention.

Kara-France needed to be more aggressive in the fight against Albazi which is a good learning lesson for him. With that, after UFC Vegas 74, Kara-France should face David Dvorak assuming the Czech fighter beats Steve Erceg on Saturday at UFC 289. Their timelines match up for a fall showdown as Dvorak gets an opportunity to fight someone in the top five while Kara-France gets someone ranked below him.

What do you think should be next for Amir Albazi and Kai Kara-France after UFC Vegas 74?