The rematch between Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno looks like it will take place a little later than originally thought.
Figueiredo and Moreno famously fought to a draw at UFC 256 in December and an immediate rematch for the flyweight title was set to happen as soon as both parties healed up.
Figueiredo has diverted from this path slightly when he recently promised a quick knock out of former UFC flyweight and bantamweight champ Henry Cejudo if given the chance to fight.
However, according to Figueiredo’s manager, Wallid Ismail, the rematch will happen in June, barring any other setbacks. (H/T BJPenn.com)
“100 percent his next fight is Moreno. We are working on it happening in June. There is no date yet but Deiveson wants June,” Ismail said about Figueiredo.
It seemed like the original plan was for the rematch to take place in either April or May of this year, but Figueiredo and his team clearly want to push it back slightly for some reason.
It could be for weight cutting reasons. Figueiredo has had a history of missing weight for title fights at the flyweight limit before. He missed weight for his first title fight with Joseph Benavidez in the main event of the Norfolk card in February of 2020.
Figueiredo and his team could also be looking to get on a stacked card with a lot of big names now that he gets pay-per-view points.
Figueiredo has been on a roll since getting to the top of the division. He knocked Benavidez out in the fight that he missed weight for last year and then came back to make weight and submit him in the first round of the rematch a couple of months later. He then successfully defended his belt for first time against Alex Perez at UFC 255.
Moreno has been on quite a run too since coming back to the UFC in 2019. He took home a draw in his comeback fight against Askar Askarov that year. He then got three straight wins against top ten opponents to earn a title shot.