Deiveson Figueiredo is very confident he’ll become the new flyweight champion this weekend. The Brazilian contender takes on fight veteran Joseph Benavidez for the vacant 125lb title at UFC Norfolk on Saturday night.
Speaking to BJPENN.com via his manager, Figueiredo said when he heard about his upcoming title shot, he realized his dreams of being UFC champion were about to come true. All he has to now is take on the not so easy task of getting past betting favourite Benavidez.
“Fighting for the belt is making my dreams come true. I am not just going to fight for the belt, I’m going to win and be the champion. Everybody can be sure about that. I’m very confident and on Saturday I’m going to be the next UFC champion. I have a lot of respect for Benavidez, but he can not handle me.”
Figueiredo and
Benavidez have had an interesting rivalry bubbling away for some time now. The
18-1 fighter claims it all stemmed from Benavidez telling lies about him, something
Figueiredo insists his opponent with pay for on Saturday night.
“The rivalry started when
he started to lie about me. He went to the press and said I was afraid of him
and didn’t want to fight him. Now, he will re-pay the big price of lying. He
can’t lie as he had before,” he explained. “I was hurt, that’s why we didn’t
fight. Now, the time is here on Saturday I will beat him up. Benavidez will
retire after this fight, I really believe that. I hope he can be a UFC
commentator, but after Saturday he won’t want to step into the octagon again
because I will break his spirit.”
In this fight, Deiveson Figueiredo insist he’ll be going for the
quick finish. By knockout or submission it doesn’t matter, he’ll end the bout
and claim the title inside two rounds.
“I see from the first second to the last, I’m going after him and going to break his spirit and beat him up. He is going to feel my power. I’m going to submit or knock him out,” he said. “I’m in the best shape of my life. I really don’t care about him. Benavidez is not going to be able to handle me. When he feels my power he will give up.
Do you think Deiveson Figueiredo will become flyweight champion at UFC Norfolk?