Tag Archives: UFC 256

Deiveson Figueiredo to Fight Brandon Moreno in First-Ever UFC “Quadrilogy” Fight

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Deiveson Figueiredo is making history while going on the defense…

The 34-year-old Brazilian professional mixed martial artist will take part in the first-ever quadrilogy fight in UFC history.

Deiveson FigueiredoFigueiredo will defend his flyweight belt against former champion and current interim champ Brandon Moreno at UFC 283 on January 21 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Figueiredo posted about the matchup Monday night on Instagram. Both bout agreements have been signed, according to ESPN sources.

This will be the fourth meeting between the top two 125-pound fighters in the world.

Figueiredo and Moreno battled to a draw at UFC 256 in December 2020. Then in the rematch, Moreno became the first Mexican-born fighter to win a UFC title, defeating Figueiredo via third-round submission at UFC 263 in June 2021. Figueiredo got revenge at UFC 270 last January, beating Moreno in a close unanimous decision to regain the title.

It’s not yet known whether Figueiredo vs. Moreno will be the main event of UFC 283. The UFC is weighing several other headlining options for its return to Brazil, a key country for the promotion.

This will be the UFC’s first trip back to Brazil since March 2020, and the first time fans will be in attendance for a Brazil UFC event since November 2019.

ESPN has Figueiredo tied for ninth on its MMA pound-for-pound list. At flyweight, Figueiredo and Moreno are ranked Nos. 1 and 2, respectively.

Figueiredo (21-2-1) has just one loss in his past eight fights, coming against Moreno. The “God of War” owns a 10-2-1 UFC record and has not fought since taking the title back from Moreno earlier this year. Figueiredo is tied for the most finishes in division history with Demetrious Johnson (7).

Moreno (20-6-2) has only one loss in his past nine fights, coming against Figueiredo. The “Assassin Baby” won the interim flyweight belt by beating Kai Kara-France at UFC 277 in July via third-round TKO. Moreno, 28, is a former LFA flyweight champion.

Amanda Nunes’ UFC Featherweight Title Fight Against Megan Anderson Rebooked for March

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Amanda Nunes is marching forward…

A featherweight title fight between the 32-year-old Brazilian professional mixed martial artist, a two-weight champion, and Megan Anderson has been rebooked for March 6, according to UFC officials.

Amanda Nunes

The 145-pound championship fight was originally scheduled to take place at UFC 256 on December 12, however Nunes was forced to withdraw because of health issues. The UFC has not formally announced a name or location for the March 6 card, however it’s expected to be a UFC 259 pay-per-view event.

Originally from Brazil now fighting out of Florida, Nunes (20-4) is the No. 1 pound-for-pound female fighter in the world according to ESPN. This will mark the second consecutive defense of her featherweight title. She also holds the UFC’s 135-pound bantamweight championship, which she last defended against Germaine de Randamie in December 2019.

 

Anderson (10-4) is a former Invicta FC featherweight champion, with a 3-2 record in the UFC. She has finished both of her last two fights in the first round, and has recorded finishes in all but one of her pro wins.

Deiveson Figueiredo Easily Defends UFC Flyweight Title Against Alex Perez

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Deiveson Figueiredo has easily retained his title…

The 32-year-old Brazilian professional mixed martial artist finished Alex Perez via guillotine choke at 1 minute, 57 seconds of the first round on Saturday night to retain the UFC flyweight title in the main event of UFC 255 in Las Vegas.

Deiveson Figueiredo

The incredibly fast, explosive Figueiredo found Perez’s neck in a scramble, locked in the choke and squeezed until Perez tapped out. It was Figueiredo’s first title defense.

“I came to the flyweight division to knock out, to submit everybody,” Figueiredo said. “To bring back the excitement, show the world the power of the flyweight division. I always thought I was gonna save this weight class, because people don’t know my power.”

Figueiredo, nicknamed “God of War,” and his dynamic, all-action style has reinvigorated the 125-pound weight class.

“If you don’t like this guy, stop watching fights,” UFC president Dana White said. “You need to find a new hobby if you don’t like watching him.

“Obviously I’m glad we didn’t [get rid of flyweight]. The division needed a little bit of rebuilding. We rebuilt it, and this is the result.”

White said at the postfight news conference that Figueiredo won’t return to Brazil after this fight and will instead stay in Las Vegas to defend his title again in December.

The plan, White said, is to have Figueiredo fight top contender Brandon Moreno, who beat Brandon Royval in the UFC 255 prelims.

Sources confirmed to ESPN that Figueiredo and Moreno had verbally agreed to fight at UFC 256 on December 12.

Figueiredo asked for Moreno in his postfight interview.

“Dana, make this happen,” Figueiredo said. “That’s the fight that I want to happen.”

Going in, ESPN had Figueiredo ranked No. 2 (behind Johnson) and Perez at No. 5 in the world at flyweight. ESPN also has Figueiredo ranked No. 8 in the world in its pound-for-pound rankings.

UFC Eyeing Rematch Between Jorge Masvidal & Nate Diaz

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It looks like Jorge Masvidal could be getting the chance for a repeat…

The UFC is eyeing a welterweight rematch between the 35-year-old Cuban and Peruvian American mixed martial artist and Nate Diaz, according to UFC president Dana White.

Jorge Masvidal

Bout agreements haven’t been signed, but both sides are reportedly interested in the rematch.

The UFC is looking to book the rematch as the next bout for both Masvidal and Diaz, but a date hasn’t been set. TMZ has reported that the fight is targeted for UFC 256 on December 12. But sources tell ESPN the fight could also take place in January.

Masvidal and Diaz squared off last November in the main event of UFC 244 at Madison Square Garden for the inaugural BMF Championship. Masvidal (35-14) defeated Diaz via TKO when ringside physicians stopped the bout after the third round due to a facial cut. Diaz protested the stoppage.

Masvidal, who made history as the first Latino on the cover of the mixed martial arts fighting video game EA Sports UFC, went on to challenge Kamaru Usman for the welterweight championship at UFC 251 last month in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. Masvidal accepted the fight on short notice after Usman’s original opponent, Gilbert Burns, was forced off the card at the last minute due to a positive COVID-19 test. Masvidal lost via unanimous decision.

Diaz (20-12) has not fought since the loss to Masvidal. The 35-year-old Mexican American welterweight fought twice in 2019 after a three-year layoff. He defeated Anthony Pettis in August of 2019 before losing to Masvidal in November.