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The new UFC flyweight champion wants to make an example out of former bantamweight king Cody Garbrandt.
Newly crowned UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo is not pleased with who his first title challenger will be, but will comply anyway.
After beating Joseph Benavidez for the second time and winning the vacant belt at UFC Fight Night 172, ‘Deus da Guerra’ is now paired up against former bantamweight champ Cody Gabrandt. However, the Brazilian does not feel like ‘No Love’ earned his shot.
In an interview with Ag Fight, Deiveson said he is ready to make an example out of Garbrandt for people who geat ahead of fighters more deserving of a title shot. Although he was unsatisfied with the pairing at first, Figueiredo did accept to fight Cody after some more negotiation with the UFC.
“I didn’t think it was right for him to cut the line, but the UFC calls the shots. We work for them and we have to accept whoever they want us to fight so we can put on a show for the fans. There was a negotiation between them and my manager, Wallid Ismail. He talked to the UFC so I could have a bigger purse against Garbrandt. We got a proper figure. Now I’m training hard to show you should not cut the line to get to the belt at flyweight.”
A heavy-handed striker with astonishing power for his division, Figueiredo plans to go toe-to-toe against a fellow knockout artist in Garbrandt. Even though Deiveson is aware of the risk of going to a striking match against Cody, the champion believes his opponent’s chin might not hold up after a couple of his power shots.
“(I will take advantage of) His chin, his head. Those are fragile spots. I’ve seen him take shots and get rocked. Those are two weak spots to exploit. If he comes at me, you better believe there’ll be a bonus coming. It’s going to be an insane fight. I don’t walk back. I feel more well-rounded. He has boxing and wrestling. I have my boxing, my marajoara fighting and jiu-jitsu to submit him if he makes a mistake.”
Currently on a four-fight winning streak, Figueiredo (19-1) bested Alexandre Pantoja, Tim Elliott and Joseph Benavidez twice in his most recent outings, with only of those wins not being a finish. The 32-year-old’s last and sole loss was a March 2019 unanimous decision defeat to Jussier Formiga.
Now, Figueiredo is expected to meet Garbrandt at UFC 255’s main event, on November 21, in a location yet to be announced. The night’s co-main event is scheduled to feature a female flyweight title fight, between the champion, Valentina Shevchenko and challenger Jennifer Maia.