UFC Macau blew the roof off Galaxy Arena in Macau, SRA, China last Saturday (Nov. 23, 2024) leaving several fighters feeling the post-fight blues. Among them was Song Kenan, who was knocked out cold by Muslim Salikhov and his spinning wheel kick (see it again here).
And Wang Cong, who suffered the first loss of her mixed martial arts (MMA) career after she was upset and choked out by Gabriella Fernandes (video replay here). But which fighter is suffering from the worst post-fight hangover, now a few days removed from the show?
Deiveson Figueiredo.
Coming into his headlining bout against Petr Yan, Figueiredo was one more win away from throwing his name into the hat at getting a shot at Merab Dvalishvili’s Bantamweight title. Since moving up to 135 pounds, “Daico” — the former UFC Flyweight champion of the world — had won three straight fights, good enough to bump him up all the way to the No. 5 spot on the official rankings.
Unfortunately for the Brazilian ex-champion, he ran into a former champion who wouldn’t be denied. Indeed, Yan was on fire all night, landing on all fronts with his crisp striking and devastating kicks. When they grappled, Yan surprisingly got the best of Figueiredo more often than not. But it was on the feet where “The Machine” really did his damage. In the end, the two men went a full 25 minutes, which resulted in a unanimous decision win for Yan, who called for his shot at the strap after the fight.
As for Figueiredo, it’s his first loss in the division so it won’t hurt him too bad. All it hurts is his hopes of fighting for the title in early 2025.
As far as what could be next for “Daico,” perhaps a showdown against Cory Sandhagen is in order. “Sandman” hasn’t competed since losing to current top contender, Umar Nurmagomedov, earlier this year. Prior to that, Sandhagen was making his own march toward a shot at the title after reeling off three straight wins of his own.
During their previous respective win streaks, both Sandhagen and Figueriedo defeated common opponents Rob Font and Marlon Vera. Sandhagen is currently ranked No. 4, which is one spot ahead of Figueiredo. The winner of this fight will get some much-needed confidence and avoid having a bigger drop-off in the division. As for the loser, he will dig himself a deeper hole to get out of in a stacked weight class.
For complete UFC Macau results, coverage, and highlights, click HERE.