That’s fair. If the unification bout slated for the co-main event in Rio De Janeiro January 21 bears any resemblance to its predecessors, it will fierce, merciless, razor-close, and likely an instant classic. The epic tale thus far has not been built upon peace and love.
UFC 283 Countdown Full Episode
“Brandon Moreno and I don’t like each other. And when we step in the Octagon, we want to put on amazing show for the fans and everybody who likes to see Deiveson Figueiredo versus Brandon Moreno.”
The “everybody” he speaks of is literally most everybody who likes to watch fights. It’s hard to think of any other pairing of athletes that audiences would tolerate, let alone demand, to watch four times in a row. Far from being merely first-time novelty, their tetralogy feels like one of the great unfinished stories in all of combat sports.
You likely know the story to date so far: their epic inaugural meeting at UFC 256 ended in a majority draw that earned Fight of the Night honors. The follow-up at UFC 263 immediately felt like a third meeting was inevitable, despite Moreno taking the win and the belt with a second-round submission. The trilogy concluded at UFC 270 with Figueiredo reclaiming his strap via unanimous decision in another Fight of the Night effort. Nobody would have argued with an immediate and definitive tiebreaker to the series, but injuries to the champ’s hands had to heal first. Moreno would maintain his place in line, earning the interim strap while Figueiredo was on the mend.
