Figueiredo reclaims flyweight belt
Let’s play four? The trilogy fight between flyweight champion Brandon Moreno and former champion Deiveson Figueiredo lived up to the hype.
But it did not live up to the pro-Moreno fans’ hopes Saturday at Honda Center, as Figueiredo reclaimed his title with a hard-fought unanimous-decision victory in the UFC 270 co-main event.
The sold-out crowd booed as the Brazilian challenger was announced the winner by virtue of 48-47 scores on all three judges’ cards.
Figueiredo (21-2-1) meanwhile, who trained with former two-division champion Henry Cejudo and his Fight Ready team in Scottsdale, Ariz., was mobbed by Cejudo and his coaches.
“I want to thank God for this opportunity, for believing in me ... for this moment and for Brandon Moreno for this fight to give everyone the gift of this Fight of the Night,” Figueiredo said in his postfight interview.
Figueiredo, 34, even offered a tetralogy, which is the term for the fourth in a series of four.
“I’ve been away from my family for four months. I’m ready for a fourth fight with Brandon Moreno in Mexico,” he said.
Moreno (19-6-2) replied later in Spanish that he was ready to go again, but he felt he did enough to get the nod.
“I feel like I threw combinations with more speed. Maybe he connected with more power,” said Moreno, 28, who was making his first title defense. “Obviously, I think I won but it is what it is right now.”
Moreno landed more strikes (106-95) and more significant strikes (10586) and landed more significant strikes in each of the last four rounds, but the challenger scored three knockdowns — two in the third round — as well as two takedowns to one for Moreno.
The third knockdown came in the fateful fifth round, a straight right early in the round that put Moreno on his seat. The champ popped back up, though, not seriously harmed.
Neither fighter was in danger of being finished. For the most part, they were patient, striking, counterstriking, at times engaging in flurries. The fight ended with each 125-pounder swinging wildly and egging the other on.
It has been a whirlwind 13 months for the two warriors. Moreno and
Figueiredo fought to a majority draw in December 2020, then Moreno tapped out the Brazilian champ in the third round in June to win the belt.
Their third fight came with Figueiredo, who exuberantly and graciously congratulated an emotional Moreno seven months ago, bad-mouthing the Tijuana native for some perceived old bad blood involving Cejudo.
Moreno shook off the comments as Figueiredo trying to sell tickets. Whether any bad blood lingers going into a potential fourth fight remains to be seen.