Athletes
Deiveson Figueiredo vs Brandon Moreno Rivalry Recap
As The Rivalry Between Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno Reaches New Heights At UFC 283, We Look Back On Their Epic Fights
The rivalry between flyweights Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno is unprecedented.
The two flyweights are set to compete in their fourth fight against one another at UFC 283: Teixeira vs Hill on January 21. That’s not a typo, as these two men are going to fight in the UFC Octagon for the fourth time. That’s how great of a matchup this is.
Each of Figueiredo and Moreno’s three fights have been thrilling and for the flyweight title. Figueiredo has won once, Moreno has won once, and they’ve fought to a majority draw.
Deiveson Figueiredo vs Brandon Moreno 1-3 Recap | UFC 283: Teixeira vs Hill
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Deiveson Figueiredo vs Brandon Moreno 1-3 Recap | UFC 283: Teixeira vs Hill
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Both Figueiredo and Moreno have bounced back after defeats at the hand of the other, with Figueiredo winning the flyweight title back from Moreno and Moreno defeating Kai Kara-France by TKO to win the interim flyweight title. Those performances paved the way for the two to meet again.
If their fourth fight is anything like the previous three, fight fans are in for yet another incredible battle.
Re-live each of their fights as we prepare to see Figueiredo vs Moreno 4.
The Majority Draw
Deiveson Figueiredo vs Brandon Moreno 1
UFC 256 – December 12, 2020
Just three weeks after both winning handedly at UFC 255, Figueiredo and Moreno agreed to stick around in Las Vegas and headline UFC 256.
What followed was an epic fight that will go down as one of the best – if not the best – fight in UFC flyweight history. Figueiredo and Moreno went the 25 minutes in a back-and-forth barnburner.
It was such a wild fight that UFC announcer Joe Rogan couldn’t help but put his hands on his head and yell “This is crazy!” The fight was just as close as it was crazy, so much so that none of the men on the call knew who was going to get the nod when Bruce Buffer went to announce the scorecards.
Athlete Profiles: Figueiredo | Moreno
An illegal low blow by Figueiredo in the third-round cost him a point and a unanimous victory as the judges ruled the bout a majority draw. Two judges scored the fight 47-47 after the point deduction and the third judge scored the fight 48-46 in favor of the champion. It was a crazy ending to a crazy fight.
Right after the result, Megan Olivi spoke with UFC President Dana White, and he declared that that Figueiredo and Moreno needed to run it back “immediately.”
Six months later, they did just that.
The Submission
Deiveson Figueiredo vs Brandon Moreno 2
UFC 263 – June 12, 2021
The rematch between Figueiredo and Moreno couldn’t have gone more differently than their first fight. Both men had something to prove after how close their first fight went, but it couldn’t have been more one-sided.
It was Moreno who grabbed control of the moment from the jump and never let Figueiredo get into the fight. He dropped Figueiredo in the first round with a jab and smothered him with a busy and confident attack.
“The Assassin Baby” switched up his flow with a takedown in the second round and showcased that he was happy to outgrapple Figueiredo. In the third round he went back to the well, submitting Figueiredo with a rear-naked choke to become the UFC flyweight champion.
It was a surreal moment for Moreno, who sat quietly on his knees in the Octagon, soaking in the moment as the crowd in Arizona erupted. To become the first Mexico native to win a UFC title and to do it just over six hours away from his hometown of Tijuana, Mexico, was truly an all-time moment.
Jon Anik’s iconic call still owns a special place in fight fans’ memories today.
“Brandon Moreno has done it! Tijuana, you have a champion!”
From advertisements and earned respect to murals in Tijuana – this was Brandon Moreno’s rocket launch to stardom.
But his rivalry with Figueiredo was far from finished, as the first two fights were too good for the UFC to ignore, and the UFC booked Moreno vs Figueiredo 3 for UFC 270.
The Redemption
Brandon Moreno vs Deiveson Figueiredo 3
UFC 270, January 22, 2022
The third fight between Figueiredo and Moreno resembled that of their first showdown, as it went the full 25 minutes and was another razor-close fight.
One major difference between this fight and the first one was the crowd. At UFC 256, there were no fans in the UFC APEX, but at UFC 270 it was impossible to quiet the Mexican faithful screaming for Moreno in Anaheim, California.
Unfortunately for them, just like in the first fight, Figueiredo did enough in the eyes of the judges to take the flyweight title back to Brazil.
The biggest moment of the fight happened in the third round when Figueiredo dropped Moreno and attempted to sink in a choke before the horn sounded. But in true Moreno fashion, the Tijuana native bounced back by winning rounds four and five on some of the judges’ scorecards.
It clearly was a massive moment for Figueiredo, who couldn’t hold back his emotions after the victory. He had switched camps from his home in Brazil to Fight Ready in Arizona for this bout with Moreno and the sacrifice paid off.
The win wasn’t without controversy, however, as rounds one, two, and three were all scored the same way by the judges. Rounds four and five were all split.
After the win, Figueiredo needed time away from the Octagon as he dealt with injuries. That time away from competition kept him sidelined all the rest of 2022.
Moreno didn’t sit and wait for Figueiredo to get healthy, as the UFC pointed to him to fight Kai Kara-France for the interim belt at UFC 277. He defeated Kara-France with a vicious body kick and earned a fourth crack at Figueiredo.
The win impressed Dana White and prompted him to set up Figueiredo vs Moreno to unify the flyweight title at UFC 283 in Brazil.
“It’s one of those unique freaky deals where who doesn’t want to see that fight again?” White said.
And that ladies and gentleman, is why we must see a fourth fight between these men.
