Figueiredo’s offense dropped significantly from first bout against Moreno.
The UFC crowned a new flyweight champion on Saturday night after Brandon Moreno submitted Deiveson Figueiredo at the 2:26 mark of the third round.
Figueiredo and Moreno first met in December. The 125-pounder fought to a majority draw. With that result, Figueiredo retained the title. The rematch served as the co-main event of UFC 226, which took place Saturday at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
Before the rematch, Figueiredo was confident, “I’m going to knock this guy out in the first or second round. I wasn’t 100% in the first fight. He’s been saying I don’t have potential, that my hands aren’t heavy. I’ll show him he’s wrong about what he thinks of me. I’m the kind of guy who can have this wrath awakened inside of me when my opponent starts talking nonsense.”
Moreno wasn’t as bold as his opponent, but he seemed to know he needed to make a big statement at UFC 263, “I need to finish this rivalry with this guy. I need to finish this guy. I want to be a champion. I’m working so hard. I’m young, I’m 27 years old, but I have 10 years like a professional, I have 15 years in this sport working so hard, I just dream all night of the belt around my waist. I just need to finish this guy.”
Moreno was incredibly aggressive from the start of the contest. Comparing Figueiredo’s striking numbers in the two fights shows a pronounced difference. In the first five minutes of his first fight opposite Moreno, Figueiredo attempted 55 significant strikes and landed 28.At UFC 263, Figueiredo went 24 for 36 over the entire 12:26 the bout lasted.
With the win, Moreno became the first Mexican-born UFC champion.
Below is a look at the stats from the Figueiredo vs.Moreno matchup.