We’ve just watched Deiveson and Brandon fight three times in a row … and now everyone wants to see number four.
Fun fact: the UFC has never hosted a quadrilogy of fights. That’s because typically, a trilogy is all it takes to figure out who is the superior fighter. But with Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo now both 1-1-1 against each other following UFC 270, we may finally have a reason for a fourth fight to be fought.
The first fight saw Figueiredo beat a spirited Moreno but suffer a point deduction, resulting in a draw. The second fight saw Moreno swarm Figueiredo and submit him in the third round. The trilogy fight we witnessed on Saturday night was a razor thin decision that went Figueiredo’s way, with many fans disagreeing with the judging. But however you saw it, you have to agree it was close. And great. Essential ingredients for a fourth fight.
And unlike most situations like this where two fighters have been battling for a year straight, both men are still interested in doing it again.
“I remember my last two loses against Pantoja and Pettis, and I knew in that moment I lost,” Moreno said during the post-fight press conference. “I was like, ‘OK, this feels like sh*t, but I know I lost.’ But this time I felt like I won.”
“It’s crazy because the door is open for the fourth fight against this guy, and that’s amazing,” he added later. “I’m just trying to be very positive in my life and I can see that possibility and start to make more history with this guy. I’m more hungry than ever and I want to see this guy again. This is the game.”
Hearing that Moreno thought he’d won, Figueiredo threw out an insult and then a challenge.
“Crybaby,” Figueiredo said. “Let’s go to the next one, man. Let’s take it up for the next one.”
But after challenging Moreno to a fight in Mexico (a very real possibility given the wild response in Anaheim for Moreno), Figueiredo is now thinking maybe Brazil would be safer.
“Yeah, I initially said Mexico,” Figueiredo said. “But I think if we go to Mexico… we might not leave. So I think that we’re considering Brazil might be a better option.”
UFC president Dana White wasn’t on hand following the event to give his view on whether Figueiredo vs. Moreno was worthy of an immediate fourth fight, but we have a feeling the UFC will continue to roll with this classic rivalry that’s fallen into their laps, making stars of their often below the radar 125ers.