Deiveson Figueiredo wouldn’t be surprised to see Merab Dvalishvili emerge victorious in his first title defense as the bantamweight champion.
Dvalishvili is set to face Umar Nurmagomedov in the co-main event of UFC 311, a pay-per-view event scheduled for Jan. 18 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
Despite riding an impressive 12-fight winning streak, the Georgian enters the fight as the betting underdog against Nurmagomedov. For Figueiredo, the style of the champion is the key to his success.
“I tend more for Merab,” Figueiredo told MMA Junkie. “The reason I do this is his striking is not refined, but he manages to tire people and confuse them so he can take them down. On the other hand, Umar is a guy who knows how to submit from the bottom, so there’s that risk for Merab. But after five rounds, I see Merab’s hand being raised.”
Figueiredo, a former flyweight champion, plans to closely follow UFC 311. The Brazilian expressed his desire to remain at bantamweight and potentially add another divisional title to his résumé.
