Reflecting on his UFC flyweight championship unification loss to rival, Brandon Moreno on home soil earlier this month, former two-time division best, Deiveson Figueiredo has plans to become a three-time titleholder under the banner of the promotion, ahead of his Octagon comeback.
Figueiredo, a now-former two-time undisputed flyweight championship holder, co-headlined UFC 283 last weekend against Tijuana native, Moreno in the pair’s fourth career fight against each other.
Suffering his second loss to Moreno in Rio de Janeiro, Figueiredo was prevented from continuing beyond the third round after a left hand from Moreno caused severe swelling around his right eye, forcing a doctor’s stoppage.
Slumping to 1-2-1 in his quadrilogy matchup with Moreno, Figueiredo, who has been tipped to make an eventual flyweight division move, addressed his doctor’s stoppage TKO loss to the former, insisting he would return triumphantly and strike Octagon gold once more.
“A week has passed and the biggest feeling that comes to me, I WILL COMEC BACK STRONGER AND READY TO HAVE THE BELT,” Deiveson Figueiredo tweeted.
First landing UFC championship spoils in July 2020 on ‘Fight Island’ in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Figueiredo stopped two-time opponent, Joseph Benavidez in a dominant first round win, forcing a submission via rear-naked choke to clinch the vacant title.
In an immediate title defense in November of that year, Figueiredo stopped Alex Perez with a quickfire guillotine choke in just less than two minutes atop a UFC 255 pay-per-view card at the UFC Apex facility.
Deiveson Figueiredo plots bantamweight division move
Expected to make a bantamweight division move iin his enxt Octagon outing, off the back of his loss to Moreno at the Jeunesse Arena, Figueiredo confirmed through an interpreter that he would be making a 135lbs landing.
“Unfortunately, it is time to leave this division, I’ve done a lot,” Deiveson Figueiredo said. “Congratulations to Brandon (Moreno), but I’m moving up [to bantamweight].”