Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo will collide for the third straight time in UFC 270’s pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event on Jan. 22, 2022, in Anaheim. California. While there have been several trilogies in the history of mixed martial arts (MMA), this is the first time two fighters have faced off against each other three times in a row in a title fight.
In their first fight, the two Flyweights fought to a majority draw at UFC 256 in Dec. 2020. Their rematch at UFC 263 six months later, however, had a more convincing finish. From the jump, both athletes got after it. While Figueiredo is just a tad bit bigger than Moreno, “The Assassin Baby” never backed down an inch, showing off improved striking and great grappling skills, dropping the Brazilian with a hard jab in the closing seconds of round one.
In round two, “Daico” used his strength advantage to not only take Moreno down, but keep him there. That was up until the Mexican-born fighter turned the tide and eventually got top position. Early in round three, Moreno was able to land a takedown. In the process of trying to stuff the takedown, Figueiredo gave up his back.
And that was all “Assassin Baby” needed to take control.
After sinking in both hooks, Moreno was able to latch on an air-tight rear-naked choke that left Figueiredo with no other choice but to tap. After soaking in the win for a few seconds, the rush of emotions overwhelmed Moreno after realizing he had made history by becoming UFC’s first-ever Mexican-born champion.
Now, he will look to score his first title defense and perhaps move on from Figueiredo forever if he can take out “Daico” one more time in an event that will feature a Heavyweight title unification bout between Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane.
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