Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
We may not crown a new flyweight champion after all.
That’s because Deiveson Figueiredo missed weight and was ruled ineligible to capture the crown in the UFC Fight Night 169 mixed martial arts (MMA) event, which airs exclusively on ESPN+ this Sat. night (Feb. 29, 2020) inside Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Virginia.
Instead, the Brazilian will cough up 30% of his fight purse — payable to opponent Joseph Benavidez — and compete for the sake of competing, or at least for the opportunity to keep the belt from going to “Joe Jitsu,” who made the flyweight mark with relative ease.
“Daico” weighed in at 127.5, two-and-a-half pounds over the championship limit. The usual one-pound allowance is not afforded in title fights, which is probably why Figueiredo stopped cutting weight when he realized he was so far out.
Get complete UFC Norfolk weigh-in results here.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Fight Night 169 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” undercard bouts at 5 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN+ main card start time at 8 p.m. ET.
For much more on this weekend’s UFC Norfolk card click here.