Deiveson Figueiredo sees himself in a prime position to vault towards the title with a strong performance at UFC Rio. While some may see the former UFC flyweight champion in a compromised spot due to back-to-back defeats, Figueiredo has some interesting logic as to why he could get a title shot.
The Brazilian mixed martial artist prepares to face Montel Jackson in Rio de Janeiro, with Figueiredo facing his first unranked opponent since his promotional debut in 2017.
Figueiredo has suffered defeats to former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan and Cory Sandhagen, the last man to challenge for the UFC 135-pound crown. When touching on the machinations of the matchup with Jackson and looking at his ideal path forward, Figueiredo said [via Sherdog],
“He has already proven that he is extremely strong, and it is no coincidence that he is on a six-fight winning streak. I am sure that an impressive victory over him will only prove that I deserve to fight for the title. After all, I am the only top fighter in the division who has not met Merab. On Saturday I am 220% ready to get a knockout or submission. I am not someone who leaves a fight in the hands of the judges, especially not fighting with the support of my fans.”
Deiveson Figueiredo and his path to UFC Rio
Deiveson Figueiredo was rooted in Natal and led to this fight with extensive work with the Pitbull Brothers camp. Leandro Higo seemed to be an important part of the refinement process here. Figueiredo also stated in his previous fight that he felt like he came in at 50 percent, which is much lower than the percentile he mentioned in the quote above.
The 37-year-old called Jackson a very patient man, but also said he feels Jackson’s wrestling is overrated despite coming from such a background. Figueiredo and his camp weren’t high on Jackson’s boxing either. Having fought a line of real killers, ‘Deus da Guerra’ is confident in his ability to gauge whether or not Montel Jackson can jump up the hierarchy of the UFC rankings.
#Deiveson #Figueiredo #eyes #fighting #title #postUFC #Rio #BJPenn.com