It looks like Deiveson Figueiredo has decided against a move from flyweight to bantamweight—for now.
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Deiveson Figueiredo staying at flyweight, gets Manel Kape next
Following his third-round TKO loss to Brandon Moreno at UFC 283 this past January, Figueiredo said he would leave flyweight for bantamweight, the division he was preparing to compete in after a potential win against the ‘Assassin Baby’.
“Unfortunately, it’s time to leave this division,” said Figueiredo in his post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier. “I’ve done a lot. Congratulations to Brandon, but I’m moving up.”
However, it now appears as though Figueiredo is staying at his original weight class instead—he even has an opponent on tap for his return to the Octagon. ESPN Deportes’ Carlos Contreras Legaspi reports that ‘Deus Da Guerra’ has agreed to a fight against Manel Kape at UFC 290, the upcoming pay-per-view event scheduled for July 8 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Since his loss, the ex-UFC flyweight champion has remained on the sidelines with a broken orbital and nose as a result of a well-timed left hand from Moreno in their most recent fight. Figueiredo underwent successful surgery, and was expected to ‘slowly’ return to training.
Prior to his series of fights with Moreno, Figueiredo was on a five-fight win streak that included finishes of Tim Elliott, Joseph Benavidez (x2) and Alex Perez.
As for Kape, the former RIZIN FF champion has found his footing in the promotion after starting his stint with a pair of losses to Alexandre Pantoja and Matheus Nicolau. ‘Starboy’ saw two of his next three fights end in first-round finishes. That led to a step up in competition against Alex Perez, the one-time flyweight title challenger at UFC San Antonio this past March.
However, Perez vs. Kape would never make it to the Octagon, as the former was forced to withdraw from the fight after suffering a seizure.
Figueiredo and Kape are ranked No. 1 and No. 9 in the division, respectively.
Figueiredo vs. Kape joins another pivotal flyweight fight at UFC 290
With the addition of Figueiredo vs. Kape, there are now two flyweight fights set to go down at International Fight Week. On Wednesday, it was reported that the new UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno was going to defend against Alexandre Pantoja.
Moreno and Pantoja have fought twice, with the ‘Cannibal’ winning both their previous outings.
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