The UFC granted a request from flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo.
Flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo closed out 2020 with a five-round barn burner against Brandon Moreno at UFC 256. Having felt he’d broken himself “into pieces” in that fight, the 33-year-old Brazilian asked for his share of pay-per-view points.
“It’s missing some pay-per-view in my purse,” Figueiredo said in a recent interview. “If they already add it to this [UFC 256] fight, that would be great, brother, but I would like to start making pay-per-view [money] for my next ones. I deserve this. I love working for the UFC and I want to be more valued, you know.”
According to manager Wallid Ismail, the company eventually obliged the champ’s request.
“I remember as it was today,” Ismail told MMA Fighting. “I told [UFC matchmaker] Mick Maynard, ‘This guy will bring back the power to the flyweight division. He fights to kill his opponents, not to score points.’ And he trusted us and kept the division. Deiveson started to put on a show, and this last fight was his coronation.
“The guy was sick and still fought so the pay-per-view wouldn’t lose its main event. It was a draw but saw it as a win for us, and now they said he deserves the pay-per-view [points].
“The UFC really values a complete athlete, one that sells. You can’t be good but not sell. That’s why selling matters so much. That’s what I always tell my athletes.”
After being deprived of a performance bonus for his UFC 255 win over Alex Perez, Figueiredo also received $50,000 cash from UFC president Dana White a few days later. White went on to admit that they “f—ked up” in failing to give Figueiredo his money right after the fight.
Figueiredo vs. Moreno ended in a draw, but both men took home an extra $50,000 for Fight of the Night honors. A rematch between the two is promised to take place sometime within the year.