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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
MMA Junkie Staff

UFC free fight: Amir Albazi clamps on rear-naked choke to tap Francisco Figueiredo in first

Amir Albazi showed off his finishing prowress at one of the biggest pay-per-view cards of 2022.

At UFC 278 last August, Albazi made quick work of Francisco Figueiredo, winning the fight in the first round with a rear-naked choke submission. The victory was his third of three fights in the UFC, and his second first-round finish.

You can watch Albazi’s fantastic performance against Figueiredo in the video above.

Albazi returns to action Saturday for his first main event under the UFC banner at UFC on ESPN 45. He takes on Kai Kara-France in a flyweight matchup. The event takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and airs live on ESPN and ESPN+.

Albazi (16-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) will look to extend his current win streak to six straight. He enters Saturday’s main even on the heels of a third-round finish of Alessandro Costa in December.

Kara-France (24-10 MMA, 7-3 UFC) will look to return to the win column after a vacant flyweight title loss to Brandon Moreno at UFC 277 last July. He won three-straight to fight for the chance at a piece of the division’s title.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 45.

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