Deiveson
Figueiredo has established himself as a different breed of
flyweight, one who can end a fight at a moment’s notice with his
power and overall finishing ability.
However, the reigning 125-pound champion threw everything he had at
Brandon
Moreno in the UFC 256 main event on Saturday, and “The Assassin
Baby” still kept coming. Thanks to a point deduction for an
inadvertent low blow in the third round, Moreno was able to emerge
with a majority draw against the champion.
The longer the fight went on, the more confident Moreno became.
“I think I expected a little bit more power from him. Obviously he
has power. It’s obvious because when he threw punches to my body, I
felt it. When he threw kicks to my forearms, I felt it definitely,”
Moreno said on the ESPN+ post-fight show. “But I started to get
more confidence during the fight, and I started to feel
comfortable. I think I needed to put more pressure in the fifth
round, but it is what it is. Right now I have this weird draw. I’m
not happy, but at the same time I am happy because I know it was a
nice fight.”
Both men accepted the fight just 21 days after earning victories at
UFC 255 last month. It was much needed for the promotion after UFC
256 lost multiple title fights due to various withdrawals. The end
result was a five-round battle that was hailed as the UFC’s
greatest flyweight bout ever in its immediate aftermath. It also
joins Weili Zhang
vs. Joanna
Jedrzejczyk as a leading candiate for 2020 “Fight of the
Year.”
While the end result wasn’t as satisfying as it would have been to
become the UFC’s first Mexican-born champion, Moreno still walked
away pleased with his performance.
“To be honest, I feel too much pain in all my body, but at the same
time, I feel so happy,” Moreno said.
“Obviously I wanted the title,” he later added. “I wanted to bring
that happiness to my country, to my family. But it is what it is.
I’m so happy to take this opportunity. I’m ready to go home with my
family, with my kids. That’s all I need.”
Both Moreno and Figueiredo seem on board with a rematch down the
road, but the challenger acknowledged that rest must be prioritzed
following a hectic final two months of 2020.
“Obviously after these last eight weeks of 2020, I need to rest,”
Moreno said. “He has all my respect. He fought the same time as me.
He took this fight on short notice. He is a champion. Normally the
champion takes a long time to rest and recover his body; he does
not. He took the fight. I have too much respect for him. I need to
rest and spend some time with my family. But definitely in 2021 I
am ready to take the rematch.”