Don't look now, but former two-time UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo is starting to look a legitimate threat to the 135-pound title.
Figueiredo (24-3-1) improved to 3-0 at bantamweight on Saturday by relying on his pinpoint striking and timely takedowns early to outpoint former title challenger Marlon "Chito" Vera (23-10-1) at UFC Fight Night in Abu Dhabi. The native of Brazil took home judges' scores of 29-28 (twice) and 30-27.
After the fight, the brash native of Brazil immediately took to the microphone to make his appeal to UFC CEO Dana White regarding a shot at the winner of the UFC 306 main event in September between bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley and Merab Dvalishvili.
"Hey Dana, I beat this guy tonight," Figuereido said through a translator. "Merab-O'Malley, I want to be next. I want to fight for the title next."
The 36-year-old Figueiredo was able to put his stamp on a competitive fight late in Round 3 when he slowed down Vera's advancing pressure by dropping him with a perfectly placed counter right hand. The clean strike appeared to almost cancel out Vera's best stretch of the fight to open the round as he stalked Figueiredo with hard left hooks to the body and short elbows from close range.
Figgy DROPPED him 😳#InAbuDhabi | @InAbuDhabi | @VisitAbuDhabi | #UFCAbuDhabi pic.twitter.com/hROnUuViRG
— UFC (@ufc) August 3, 2024
Despite looking to be a full division smaller than his opponent, Figueiredo used much of the first two rounds to showcase his footwork and strong fight IQ under trainer Eric Albarracin. He also kept just enough of a threat for a takedown to limit Vera's output over the first half.
Figueiredo stubbornly ate a flying knee from Vera in Round 1 only to instantly take him down. In Round 2, Figueiredo relied on body punching and circling to keep Vera frustrated until a late-round surge.
Vera, 31, lost for the second straight time and third in his last four. This was his first fight since losing a five-round decision for O'Malley in their March title rematch.
The victory now puts Figueiredo, who entered ranked No. 6 by the UFC against the No. 4 Vera, on the verge of a title shot in the sport's deepest division. After concluding a memorable four-bout title rivalry with Brandon Moreno at flyweight to open 2023, Figueiredo made an instant splash at bantamweight with wins over Rob Font and Cody Garbrandt.
