Per California State Athletic commission figures, Figueiredo earned $150K as a base salary, and Moreno took home $200K for their trilogy fight at UFC 270.
One of the first things Deiveson Figueiredo did after he regained the UFC flyweight title with a decision win over Brandon Moreno at UFC 270, was to call for a fourth consecutive bout against the former champion. And on Monday, January 31st, the two-time UFC 125-pound champion named his price for that fight.
“I’m ready for a fourth fight against Brandon in Mexico,” Figueiredo said through an interpreter during his post-UFC 270 in-cage interview with UFC commentator Joe Rogan. “We’re going to be doing a fourth fight.”
‘Deus da Guerra’ appeared on The MMA Hour with the UFC flyweight title strap over his shoulder, alongside his manager Wallid Ismail serving as his interpreter, telling Ariel Helwani that, “If (the) UFC wants to do something historic, let’s pay historic money for the flyweight division… $1 million dollars is beautiful. I like $1 million dollars.”
If the promotion goes ahead with the booking, the proposed dollar figure wouldn’t be the only reason for its place in history. The bout would mark the first time two fighters have fought four times under the promotion’s banner, not to mention contesting the same UFC title that many times in a row.
Figueiredo won the vacant UFC flyweight title in 2020 with a technical submission win over Joseph Benavidez. A first-round submission win over Alex Perez in November earned Figueiredo his first title defense. Then, in a quick turnaround, he fought Moreno to a draw in December of that same year.
The rematch between Figueiredo and Moreno took place in June 2021. Moreno took the belt in the rematch, via third-round submission. And finally, Figueiredo won the trilogy bout with all three judges giving him the nod, 48-47.
If he gets his way, Figueiredo’s requested purse would be an enormous increase over the payout he’s reported to have received at UFC 270. The California State Athletic Commission released UFC salary data for the event, showing that the two-time champion earned a flat rate of $150,000 for the fight. Moreno took home a flat $200,000.
As of the moment, the UFC has no announced plans to return to Mexico in 2022, although Dana White did tell the LA Times that he hoped to bring the Octagon back to the country sometime in the not too distant future. If the UFC can make that happen sometime this year, it seems they’d have a perfect fight lined up to headline it, as long as everyone can agree on the financial side of things.