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For a few days, some fans were given a glimmer of hope that Manel Kape and Deiveison Figueiredo would end up happening during International Fight Week this summer. Despite a previous report stating that the high-profile flyweight was removed from UFC 290 on July 8, an announcement made by the UFC earlier this week still had the bout in the lineup.
But when asked about this confusion on Saturday, UFC President Dana White delivered news that many might not want to hear: the fight is not happening, and might never happen due to Figueiredo wanting to move up to bantamweight.
White: Is the fight off? ‘Great question’
White was asked about the matchup’s status after the promotion wrapped up a card this weekend from Charlotte, North Carolina. While he seemed confused about whether or not the bout is happening, he was informed at the moment that it isn’t, in fact, taking place.
“That’s a f****** great question,” White said, deferring to a staff member about if the bout was happening. “No? I thought it was [on] yesterday.”
White then tells a brief timeline of the matchup from his perspective. It seems like the UFC President was caught in a game of telephone, being told a variety of things about if the fight will or will not happen.
“So yes [it was on], then [Figueiredo] tells some guy no. Then I hear again yesterday yes, then he tells me he’s moving up in weight. Who the hell knows man, who the hell knows. This is the nutty s*** we deal with on a daily basis around here.”
Figueiredo wasn’t medically cleared for UFC 290
In April, it was reported that Figueiredo was taken out of his UFC 290 bout due to not being medically cleared to compete yet. His last fight was in January when an eye injury forced a doctor stoppage in the third round of a title fight against Brandon Moreno.
The cancellation was scheduled to be Figueiredo’s first non-title fight since he faced Tim Elliott in October 2019. It is now known when his next booking will be, or what division it will be at.
Kape is on a winning streak at flyweight but has attained a streak while dealing with bad luck on booked bouts. He has lost out on competing in four different matchups since 2022. In March, a bout against Alex Perez was thrown out the day of the event due to medical issues on Perez’s side.
Kape’s last fight was in December when he picked up a unanimous decision win against David Dvorak. That marked his third consecutive win in the flyweight division, a streak that currently puts him ninth in the 125-pound division.
UFC 290 still has a title fight at flyweight
UFC 290 still has the most prominent high-profile bout you can make currently, as UFC Flyweight Champion Brandon Moreno will face Alexandre Pantoja in the co-main event. And in the main event slot of the card, Alexander Volkanovski will meet Yair Rodriguez with the UFC Featherweight Championship on the line.
With just those two bouts alone, UFC 290 is one of the stronger pay-per-view lineups of the year so far. Here’s an overall look at the card, which currently stands 12 bouts tall.
- UFC Featherweight Championship: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Yair Rodriguez
- UFC Flyweight Championship: Brandon Moreno vs. Alexandre Pantoja
- Middleweight: Bo Nickal vs. Tresean Gore
- Middleweight: Robert Whittaker vs. Dricus Du Plessis
- Lightweight: Dan Hooker vs. Jalin Turner
- Welterweight: Robbie Lawler vs. Niko Price
- Welterweight: Sean Brady vs. Jack Della Maddalena
- Flyweight: Shannon Ross vs. Jesus Aguilar
- Strawweight: Yazmin Jauregui vs. Denise Gomes
- Bantamweight: Christian Rodriguez vs. Cameron Saaiman
- Lightweight: Kamuela Kirk vs. Esteban Ribovics
- Light Heavyweight: Vitor Petrino vs. Marcin Prachnio
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