Deiveson Figueiredo’s undefeated streak came to an end in March at the hands of Jussier Formiga. Approximately four months later, the #4-ranked flyweight reflects on the loss:
“My fight against Formiga, I was injured and untrained,” Figueiredo told Harcord.com. “I had 1 month and 15 days to train and lose weight. I was 71 kg, it was a sudden weight loss, and that did not give me a good performance in the fight. Now it’s different, I’ll show it July 27.”
July 27 is the date of the UFC’s next pay per view event, UFC 240, where Figueiredo will be facing an opponent ranked one spot ahead of him in the rankings, Alexandre Pantoja, whom Figueiredo is taking very seriously:
“Pantoja is a guy who likes to fight,” Figueiredo said. “Surely, he will not make that mistake, which can be fatal to him. I’m preparing to take him to fail in the area where he feels strong. I’ll catch him, like a tiger, he is the rabbit.”
Should Figueiredo earn the victory, he believes that an interim title fight would be in order against current #1 contender Joseph Benavidez:
“When beating Pantoja, I’m sure I’ll fight Benavidez for the interim belt,” Figueiredo continued. “It’s going to be a great duel. I’m going to make Benavidez respect me.”
“I’m sure to hit number 1. I’ll fight with my head, I’ll train for a shot and put my name on UFC history.”
If he defeats Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 240, do you believe Deiveson Figueiredo should fight Joseph Benavidez for the interim flyweight championship?
