Fight Coverage
Main Event Spotlight | UFC Macau
Bantamweights Take Center Stage In UFC’s Return To Macau As Petr Yan and Deiveson Figueiredo Collide
After the big guys took center stage in New York City, the lighter — and arguably most exciting — weight class steps into the spotlight as the Octagon returns to Macau for the first time in a decade with a pair of former champions in the main event.
Petr Yan and Deiveson Figueiredo collide on November 23, hoping to distinguish themselves in the crowded bantamweight title picture as champion Merab Dvalishvili readies for the first defense of his throne. While the undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov stands in pole position, an emphatic performance in Macau could catapult either man into an advantageous position in the title race.
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Yan vs Figueiredo is one of the most fascinating matchups in a division full of them, and it’s a perfect fight to create some clarity at the top of the 135-pound division.
Petr Yan
Petr Yan | Greatest Hits
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Petr Yan | Greatest Hits
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Former bantamweight champion Petr Yan is one of the most peculiar characters in the division’s championship picture since he captured the title in 2020. He has a full arsenal of skills that should have allowed him to reign as champion for several years, but an ill-advised knee against Aljamain Sterling in his first defense sent him on an unexpected journey filled with bad luck and turmoil.
After the fateful strike against Sterling, Yan captured the interim title with a win over Cory Sandhagen but then went without a win for the next two-and-a-half years. One could argue he deserved the judges’ nods over Sterling and Sean O’Malley, but it wasn’t until he bested Song Yadong at UFC 299 that he got his hand raised once again. Somehow, Yan is still just 31 years old, and anyone who knows anything about mixed martial arts understands the Russian is as dangerous and talented as it gets in a weight class full of well-rounded monsters.
UFC Macau Full Fight Card Preview
In a little more than six years on the roster, Yan has a career’s full of events. From a title run which included wins over legends like Urijah Faber and José Aldo to a winless streak as debatable as anything in the sport, Yan has gone through the wringer of the fight game. Now that he appears on the other end of it, he is primed for a second run at the title with much more experience under his belt.
Deiveson Figueiredo
Deiveson Figueiredo | Top Finishes
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Deiveson Figueiredo | Top Finishes
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“Deus da Guerra” has found a new home in the bantamweight division after more than six impactful years as a flyweight.
Figueiredo grew into one of the signature figures among 125ers, including, but not limited to, his title-swinging tetralogy with Brandon Moreno. The former two-time flyweight champion established himself as one of the most lethal and brutal fighters in the weight class, but after coming out on the losing end of his rivalry with Moreno, he opted to turn the page and start a quest toward bantamweight glory.
FULL FIGHTS: Petr Yan vs Urijah Faber | Deiveson Figueiredo vs Marlon Vera
Since making the move, Figueiredo looks like a refreshed man despite his relative older age of 36. Wins over Rob Font, Cody Garbrandt and Marlon “Chito” Vera provided more than enough evidence that he deserves to compete with the vaunted best at 135 pounds, and he gets that chance at UFC Fight Night: Yan vs Figueiredo.
Meeting In The Middle
As is often the case when two elite bantamweights face each other, the full gamut of mixed martial arts is in play when these two finally make the walk to the Octagon and face off with each other.
Yan and Figueiredo carry considerable power in their hands. Yan’s boxing is among the best in the division, if not the roster, and he does a great job of making reads and building his attack around his opponent’s weaknesses. He remains defensively sound with a strong long-guard before he uncorks devastating combinations. Yan also displays wicked-fast kicks from either stance, often blasting them to push his opponents into a particular stance and distance.
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Figueiredo, meanwhile, is a methodical, but powerful, striker in his own right. He was the first man to drop Marlon “Chito” Vera in the Octagon with a sharp and accurate punch. As a whole, Figueiredo’s striking method is measured and lethal. He throws with the abandon of a man supremely confident in both his scrambling ability, as well as his nasty guillotine.
Both men land their strikes above a 50 percent rate and are willing to remain in the pocket and take damage to land counter strikes of their own. That said, they are also willing grapplers, both averaging more than 1.5 takedowns per 15 minutes.
In essence, this fight should be a fight fan’s dream—elite competition with a potential title shot on the line as the calendar nears its turn to 2025.
UFC Fight Night: Yan vs Figueiredo took place live from Galaxy Arena in Macau, China on November 23, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
