Deiveson Figueiredo wants to fight Brandon Moreno for the third and final time. The former flyweight champion (and his manager Wallid Ismail) sent a quick video message to Ariel Helwani on Monday, calling for the trilogy to happen between him and Moreno next.
Figueiredo and Moreno fought for the first time at UFC 256, where the two engaged in a back-and-forth battle that was eventually declared a ‘Fight of the Year’ candidate in 2020. There would be no definitive winner, however, as the judges’ scorecards saw the fight as a draw and the flyweight title was kept in the hands of Figueiredo.
Figueiredo, Moreno and the UFC brass all agreed that an immediate rematch was necessary, so it was scheduled just six months later and served as the co-main event of UFC 263. This time, there would be no need for the judges’ scorecards as Moreno finished Figueiredo with a third-round rear-naked choke in a stunning performance by the two-time title challenger.
Moreno has previously acknowledged a potential trilogy fight with Figueiredo, but it appears as though he is not completely interested in it right now. The newly crowned flyweight champion has shifted his focus away from Figueiredo and spoke about other title challengers that are deserving of a shot during a recent interview with Ag Fight.
“Maybe Deiveson needs to fight another guy and then we can fight again,” said Moreno. I have many possibilities. The winner of Askarov and Perez, Garbrandt is out there, he lost the last fight, but he is a former champion and has a big name. The trilogy is there too. Pantoja is another possibility. He’s beaten me twice before, but I don’t have anything personal against him or anyone else. I’m ready. Now I’m a different guy, I feel like a superhero. I know I will be champion for a long time.”
It is interesting to see Figueiredo reignite his calls for a trilogy considering he previously mulled over a move to bantamweight after several rough weight cuts, which he attributed to his performances against Moreno. He actually hoped to become another two-division champion after the fight with Moreno, but that did not happen.
For now though, it seems Figueiredo has decided to put his move to bantamweight on pause for another fight with Moreno, who he could meet again with a win over a ranked contender at flyweight.
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