Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Jussier Formiga believes his UFC Brasilia against Brandon Moreno should be title eliminator for the flyweight strap.
If Jussier Formiga could run the UFC’s flyweight division, his next fight would definitely be a title eliminator.
Paired up against prospect Brandon Moreno at UFC Brasilia, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt believes the winner of Saturday’s fight should be the one taking Deiveson Figueiredo for the vacant belt next.
In an interview with Combate, Jussier points out his next fight’s winner should be a lock for title contention, considering he was also the last and only man to ever defeat ‘Deus da Guerra’ in his professional MMA career.
“A fight between Deiveson and the winner of my fight with Moreno is the fight to make,” Formiga said. “It’s the number 2 guy against the number 5, I think it would be more than fair to have the winner of that fight take on Deiveson next.”
Although Moreno, the more powerful striker of the two, might some problems for Formiga, the veteran seems unfazed by the dangers of the fight. A friend of UFC flyweight Alexandre Pantoja’s, who has already defeated Brandon in the past, Jussier relies on his mate’s intel and his experience in order to score another win in the Octagon.
“He’s a good, young guy. He’s a boxer, very explosive on the feet,” Formiga said. “He’s a good scrambler on the ground, he welcomes a grappling match. Alexandre Pantoja has fought him twice, and he warned me about some things, regarding his punching power, his movement. the scrambling that happened in their last fight. I think it has all the potential to be a great fight but I’m used to those challenges. I’ve been fighting tough competition in the UFC for almost 10 years. It won’t be different now, I welcome the challenges.”
In his last outing, Jussier Formiga (23-6) was knocked out by fellow veteran Joseph Benavidez, back in June 2019. The loss snapped a four-fight winning streak for the 34-year-old, with victories over Ulka Sasaki, Ben Nguyen, Sergio Pettis and most recently Deiveson Figueiredo, back in March 2019.
Now, Formiga is expected to take on Brandon Moreno at UFC Fight Night 170, in Brasilia, Brazil, on March 14. The card is scheduled to be headlined by a lightweight bout between contenders Charles Oliveira and Kevin Lee.