Deiveson Figueiredo’s Walkaround Weight & Real Reason Behind Move to Bantamweight Division

Deiveson Figueiredo is not your average fighter. ‘Deus da Guerra’ is a storm wrapped in muscle and fury, a man who once ruled the flyweight division but paid the price with every pound. While fans cheered his knockout power and gladiator-like walkouts, few knew the battle he fought before stepping inside the Octagon—the brutal war against the scale.

Now, with his flyweight days behind him, ‘Deus Da Guerra’ has marched into bantamweight territory. But why the shift? And how much weight was he really cutting? As Figueiredo gears up for a war with Cory Sandhagen at UFC on ESPN 67 in Des Moines, Iowa, let’s peel back the layers of his transformation.

What is Deiveson Figueiredo’s walkaround weight?

Let’s get straight to it—Deiveson Figueiredo reportedly walks around at 165 pounds. Yes, you read that right. For a man who once made 125 lbs to fight at flyweight, that’s a jaw-dropping difference of 40 pounds.

In his own words, “I was walking around at 165 for this fight, so I was really heavy, maybe even more than that. The diet was very strict, only proteins and raw salads. I had to cut 39 pounds in three months.” That was ahead of his flyweight bout against Jussier Formiga.

And just like that, the image of a man casually shedding 39 pounds in three months becomes both impressive and terrifying. That walkaround weight made Figueiredo possibly one of the largest flyweights in UFC history. In fact, back in February 2020, Figueiredo missed weight on his championship clash against Joseph Benavidez.

The UFC administration gave him 2 hours to cut the weight, but ‘Deus Da Guerra’ chose to give 30% of his purse to Benavidez. Figueiredo won the clash but was ineligible to win the title due to the weight miss. As such, the logical move would be to move up in weight, which is exactly what the Brazilian did in 2023.

Deiveson Figueiredo’s brutal weight cut and bantamweight move

Weight cutting in MMA is a science, but for Deiveson Figueiredo, it was a test of sanity. During his interview ahead of the Jussier Formiga clash, the Brazilian had confessed, “Spending all this time eating nothing but raw salads and proteins got me very stressed out.”

He also revealed that his strict diet helped dull the cravings, but not the stress. The grind? Relentless. The reward? A shot at glory—often with his body screaming in protest.

As mentioned above, the tipping point came in 2020 when he missed weight by 2.5 pounds for a title bout against Joseph Benavidez. That moment was the writing on the wall.

By 2023, the war with the scale had taken its toll. Figueiredo officially made the jump to bantamweight. His debut? A dominant victory over Rob Font at UFC on ESPN 52 via unanimous decision.

And it wasn’t just about comfort. It was about evolution. Figueiredo still cuts weight, just not nearly as punishing as before. And now, in a division better suited for his frame, he’s currently 3-1 since making the decision to move up to bantamweight.

So, at UFC Des Moines, with a body no longer drained and a spirit unburdened by weight cuts, Deiveson Figueiredo may just be the storm that Cory Sandhagen never saw coming! Will the ‘God of War’ deliver yet another thunderbolt-like finish inside the Octagon? Let us know in the comments below!