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If No. 1-ranked flyweight contender Deiveson Figueiredo had correctly managed his weight cut, he would already be holding the 125-pound title. Instead, the Brazilian blew up the scale ahead of UFC Norfolk and wasted his technical knockout victory over Joseph Benavidez.
Not this time.
Figueiredo (18-1) insists history will not repeat itself as he prepares to run it back with Benavidez (28-6) in the five-round main event of UFC Fight Island 2, set for this Sat. night (July 18, 2020) on ESPN+ from Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.
“It should be an easy cut,” Figueiredo told reporters (via MMA Fighting). “I’ll start in the morning and I’ll be on weight by the time the weigh-ins start. The main change was the diet. I took a lot more strict diet than before just to make sure that I would travel at a lower weight and wouldn’t have any issues during fight week.”
The 125-pound title was vacated by the since-retired Henry Cejudo after “Triple C” decided to make bantamweight his permanent home. Fortunately for Benavidez, the flyweight Top 5 (see it here) wasn’t strong enough to keep him from an immediate do-over.
But can he capitalize on it?
To see who else is fighting at UFC Fight Island 2 click here.