Imago
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – NOVEMBER 21: (L-R) Alex Perez punches Deiveson Figueiredo of Brazil in their flyweight championship bout during the UFC 255 event at UFC APEX on November 21, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Imago
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – NOVEMBER 21: (L-R) Alex Perez punches Deiveson Figueiredo of Brazil in their flyweight championship bout during the UFC 255 event at UFC APEX on November 21, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Deiveson Figueiredo is set to make his second appearance in less than a month as he defends his title this weekend against top contender Brandon Moreno at UFC 256. Figueiredo will become the first champion in the history of the promotion to defend his title in two back-to-back pay-per-views.
Figueiredo submitted Alex Perez at UFC 255 in the first round. Brandon Moreno also got a win at the prelims as he defeated rising star Brandon Royval, as the latter suffered an injury at the end of the first round.
Getty
LAS VEGAS, NV – NOVEMBER 21: (L-R) Brandon Moreno of Mexico punches Brandon Royval in their flyweight bout during the UFC 255 event at UFC APEX on November 21, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
“The Assassin Baby” Moreno is on a roll in the flyweight division right now. He has won 4 of his last 5 bouts, with one being drawn. His last 3 wins are against top contenders like Kai Kara France, Jussier Formiga, and Brandon Royval.
He has an impressive professional record of 18 wins and 5 losses. Moreno holds 10 submissions out of his 18 wins. However, the fight against champion Figueiredo will no doubt be his toughest test to date.
Deiveson Figueiredo is as versatile as they get
Imago
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – NOVEMBER 21: (L-R) Deiveson Figueiredo of Brazil submits Alex Perez in their flyweight championship bout during the UFC 255 event at UFC APEX on November 21, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Champion Deiveson Figueiredo ranks among one of the most dominant fighters the UFC flyweight division has ever seen. He has an incredible professional record of 20-1. Out of his 20 wins, 9 have come via TKO and 8 by submission.
A truly well-versed fighter in all aspects of the game, Figueiredo is a top finisher as well. He showed in his last fight his strength and power by the way he finished Alex Perez via choking him out.
Clearly, Moreno will prefer the fight to go to the ground, as that is his primary strength. But Figueiredo has a very strong ground game. He always seems to have a clear advantage over his opponents due to his size and strength. The champion is touted as a big flyweight by the expert. He recently revealed that he will weigh in at 143 lbs on fight night vs Moreno.
On paper, it looks like a stylistic nightmare matchup for Moreno. He will be looking to avoid the versatile striking of the champion, and might force the contest to the ground.
But Figueiredo has an excellent submission resume. There is a high chance of Moreno getting caught up in one of those submissions, especially early in the fight with no sweat involved.
Final prediction: Figueiredo by submission within 2 rounds
