In UFC 283’s co-main event, Deiveson Figueiredo takes on Brandon Moreno again in the first quadrilogy in UFC history. Let’s take a look at both men in Saturday’s first title fight.
Deiveson ‘Deus de Guerra’ Figueiredo
Figueiredo made his UFC debut in 2017, five years after turning professional. Possessing a 21-2-1 record (10-2-1 inside UFC), he has 9 KO/TKOs, 8 SUB, and 4 DEC. He went on a 6-1 run with the UFC before facing Joseph Benavidez in 2020 for the vacant title. The Brazilian knocked him out in the second round but was ineligible to win the belt due to missing weight. The rematch took place four months later. This time, Figueiredo making weight and choking Benavidez out in the first round.
The current champion defended the belt once before facing Brandon Moreno for the first time at the end of 2020. He won the fight on the judges’ scorecards, but the fight was declared a draw due to a point deduction on Figueiredo’s side. This led to the rematch in June 2021, with Moreno outclassing ’Deus de Guerra’ and submitting him midway through the fight. A third fight was scheduled for January of last year, with the fight being back and forth and very difficult to score – with Deiveson Figueiredo prevailing and regaining his flyweight title.
What About His Fight Style?
The 35-year-old’s fight style is a rarity at 125 lbs, being probably the most powerful flyweight in UFC history. A lot of his power punches are very wide, not using his jab to set up combinations. The former Jungle Fight competitor usually stands his ground when his opponent is attacking, confident in his power to return. Aggressive in both striking and grappling, Figueiredo is always looking to finish the fight with strikes or submissions. He often uses his size advantage to overwhelm opponents in the wrestling department (offensively and defensively) – with very good hips, he is extremely hard to keep down. Possessing a BJJ black belt, he has a variety of attacks in the grappling department, notably the guillotine and rear-naked choke.
Brandon ‘The Assassin Baby’ Moreno
Making his pro debut in 2011, Moreno had an 11-3 record by 2016 and was WFF flyweight champion. This led to him being cast as part of TUF 24 but unfortunately lost in the first tournament round to Alexandre Pantoja. Despite the loss, the then 22-year-old still made his UFC debut whilst the show was airing. He went 3-0 inside the promotion before suffering consecutive losses to Sergio Pettis and his old foe, Alexandre Pantoja, leading to his release in late 2018. From there, the Mexican signed with the LFA, where he won their flyweight belt in his only fight with the company – seemingly, the UFC realised their mistake and re-signed Moreno near the end of 2019.
‘The Assassin Baby’ then put together his title run, going 3-0-1 before being matched with Deiveson Figueiredo for the first time at the final PPV of 2020. As mentioned, they fought another two times, with Moreno both winning and losing the belt amid the trilogy. Seeking new competition, the former champion fought Kai Kara France in a rematch for the interim 125 lb title and won via TKO (body kick). A quadrilogy was set up between himself and Figueiredo to unify the division.
Overall, the Tijuana native possesses a 20-6-2 professional record (8-3-2 inside UFC) with 15 finishes. His record includes notable victories over Brandon Royval and Jussier Formiga. However, Moreno’s fighting life hasn’t been short of controversy recently. He moved to Glory MMA for his fight against Kai Kara France under the tutelage of James Krause. But, after the recent betting scandal regarding the coach, all Glory MMA fighters have had to seek a new gym – with Brandon Moreno heading to Sayef Sayoud, head of Fortis MMA.
What About His Fight Style?
The 29-year-old is extremely well-rounded, comfortable striking with the best strikers and grappling with the best grapplers. He has some of the cleanest boxing in the entire sport, very fast with precise timing and accuracy. The TUF 24 alum is heavy on the lead leg and has very a quick kicking game. His grappling game is very efficient, too. With effective wrestling, he disguises the incoming takedown with his hands – with a BJJ black belt, he has good back control and strong chokes.
How Have the Previous Fights Gone?
Deiveson Figueiredo vs Brandon Moreno – majority draw (47-46, 47-47, 47-47) – UFC 256, 12th December 2020
Figueiredo was cutting the cage off early, with almost exclusively big shots. Meanwhile, Moreno was trying to jab his way into range but was met with an overhand right. A persistent combo was the head kick behind a jab for Moreno, also trying to catch the Brazilian coming into range. Figueiredo mixing to body and head well. Moreno was able to take him down a few times (mainly in the body lock position). In the third round came the point deduction that led to the draw. It seemed Moreno had a sense of urgency after the deduction, throwing lots of combinations in round four that had the champion hurt. Overall, they put on an incredible pace throughout.
Brandon Moreno def. Deiveson Figueiredo via submission (Round 3, 2:26) – UFC 263, 12th June 2021
Moreno immediately looked more confident in this fight, not conceding as much ground – perhaps helped by the bigger cage. Moreno led the dance with his jab, whereas his opponent was waiting for an opportunity. It’s quite difficult to see what the early game plan was for Figueiredo. The challenger caught him with a jab between strikes and dropped him in the first round. A change in game plan was imminent for Figueiredo, coming out in the second round and looking for a takedown within 30 seconds to no significant effect. Moreno looked for a back take in the same round, but the cage was in his way, a sign of things to come. Moreno got an easy body lock takedown (similar to the first fight) in the third round and immediately took his back. From there, he locked in the body triangle and made him tap to a rear-naked choke.
Deiveson Figueiredo def. Brandon Moreno via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47) – UFC 270, 22nd January 2022
A change in camp for Figueiredo in this fight (Fight Ready with Henry Cejudo) seemed to help. You could see early similarities in his game plan to a Cejudo fight. A lot of low kicks early for the now-challenger, which carried on throughout. However, Moreno still looked very confident. He was trying to catch Figueiredo with combos coming in but didn’t seem to get his timing. Moreno’s jab began landing flush in the third round, but a big right from the Brazilian seems to have won him the round. In round four, the lead leg seemed to be bothering Moreno, but his opponent didn’t really capitalise on it with a lack of activity. Despite another body lock in the final round, Figueiredo bounced right back to his feet and dropped Moreno, a strike that may have won him the fight.
Prediction: I think the change of opponent in his last fight may have freshened up the mind of Brandon Moreno. Added to the fact that he is six years younger than Figueiredo, I think the Mexican will have the advantage. My prediction is Brandon Moreno to win by unanimous decision.
Featured images credit to Embed from Getty Images
