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What Happened to the Only Man Who Beat Deiveson Figueiredo?

Published 06/12/2021, 11:44 AM EDT

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Deiveson Figueiredo is back in action again after six months. He is defending his flyweight title against Brandon Moreno in a rematch of their UFC 256 fight. They are fighting in the co-main event of UFC 263 on Saturday after their first fight ended in a draw.

That was the closest fight of Figueiredo’s career, and he has looked invincible in all of his other fights. All except one. The Brazilian fighter was on a fifteen-fight winning streak and was undefeated. He was 4-0 in the UFC as well, but it all went wrong against Jussier Formiga.

Another Brazilian fighter, Formiga, was on a three-fight winning streak when his fight against Figueiredo was made. He was the underdog in the fight. However, Formiga proved everyone wrong and dominated the current champion to get a unanimous decision victory. It was the first time Figueiredo had ever lost a fight, and he is yet to lose one since then.

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However, the story didn’t turn out well for Formiga. After putting on this incredible display, he fought Joseph Benavidez in his next fight. He got knocked out in the second round. Formiga then fought the current challenger Brandon Moreno but lost that fight via unanimous decision.

Finally, when the UFC made a fight between him and Alex Perez, the onus was on him to get a win and save his UFC career. However, it was not to be, and Perez won the fight via TKO in the first round. Formiga couldn’t handle Perez’s vicious leg kicks. The UFC cut him, and Formiga’s run in the best organization in the world was over after eight years.

Watch this story: UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya’s Journey To The MMA Pinnacle.

Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Jussier Formiga: The champion’s only loss

Their fight happened on March 23, 2019. Both of them were looking good before the fight, and the crowd was expecting a great fight. They didn’t disappoint as Figueiredo started with his usual aggression. He got a lot of shots in the first round but succumbed to a takedown with less than two minutes left on the clock.

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Formiga took him down again while avoiding all of Figueiredo’s offense. He took the first round convincingly. The second round started in a similar fashion, and Formiga dominated the round using his wrestling skills. He got another takedown for good measure and won round two.

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Figueiredo needed a finish in the third round, and he started it on the attack. However, Formiga stayed out of range and never gave him a chance. When the bell sounded, it was apparent that Figueiredo had lost this fight, and the judges complied, giving him a decision win, 30-27, 29-28, and 29-28.

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Do you think Brandon Moreno can repeat this feat?

Henry Cejudo Issues a Strong Statement After Deiveson Figueiredo Misses Weight For Flyweight Title Fight

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Written by:

Aniket Awasthi

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Aniket Awasthi is a UFC author at EssentiallySports. This STEM undergraduate combines an insatiable urge to write with his admiration for MMA and the UFC in general to enhance his journalism. He calls charismatic names like Chael Sonnen and 'The Count' Michael Bisping as his favorite fighters, but he is a great admirer of the rise of Israel Adesanya ever since he fought Rob Wilkinson at UFC 221.
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