About a month after facing Cory
Sandhagen at
UFC Des Moines, Deiveson
Figueiredo learned that he fought that night with a fractured
jaw.
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“My dentist asked for an MRI before I started a teeth whitening
process, and when the image came, she found the fracture,” the
former flyweight champion told Sherdog.com.
According to the Brazilian, the fracture happened five weeks before
the fight.
“I was doing sparring when I got hit hard with a straight punch,”
Figueiredo said. “I thought I had dislocated my jaw, and Patricio
[Freire] immediately asked to stop. Since it was really painful, I
stopped sparring for three weeks, only doing specific training like
ground-and-pound and [shadowing]. Basic stuff that could help me to
burn calories and make weight.”
Figueiredo lost to Sandhagen when he
hurt his knee during a grappling exchange that resulted in the
bout being stopped at the 4:08 mark of Round 2. According to
“Daico,” that injury won’t affect his UFC return.
“The injury I had in my knee was not a surgery case. I’m taking
care [of it] only with physiotherapy,” Figueiredo said. “My focus
now is 100% on my jaw recovery. The doctor gave me six or seven
months to calcify and have a complete recovery, but I already
returned to training. I´m just waiting for the UFC to decide my
next opponent. I can’t wait to return to the Octagon in my best
condition.”