Fight of the Night
Deiveson Figueiredo vs Brandon Moreno
After much of the Fight of the Year conversation felt wrapped up in March after Zhang Weili and Joanna Jedrzejczyk went to war in March, Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno threw their hat in the ring with a 5-round war in the final pay-per-view event of the year, ending in a majority draw, which keeps the flyweight title in Figueiredo’s possession three weeks after both men competed and won at UFC 255.
The judges scored the contest 47-46 for Figueiredo and 47-47 twice after the Brazilian was docked a point in the third round for an accidental groin strike.
Figueiredo got right back to work at the opening of the fight, pressing fast with a spinning kick and heavy punch before going for a takedown. Moreno reversed the action, gained control and started getting his own standup game going. “The Assassin Baby” scored well with his smooth boxing, but Figueiredo kept walking Moreno down and firing heavy punches, including to the body. The high pace continued well into the second round, and Figueiredo started to find a home for his right hand. Moreno scored a takedown, but Figueiredo scrambled to his feet and launched into a furious exchange. The challenger took Figueiredo’s shots well and stayed right in-range going blow-for-blow with the champion.
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The third round kept the pace and tension high as Figueiredo searched for the knockout shot, but an errant low kick halted the action, and referee Jason Herzog decided to deduct a point from Figueiredo. Once the pause in action ended, the flyweights picked up where they left off and constantly attacked and scrambled in grappling exchanges. Moreno mixed up combinations to the body and head smoothly, and Figueiredo kept launching bombs of his own. The cadence of the fight continued into the fourth round, and Figueiredo scored an early takedown. Once Moreno got back to his feet, he tagged the champion with solid shots, which Figueiredo ate well.
In the final round, Figueiredo unleashed three heavy kicks to the body and head, and Moreno’s work rate dropped as it seemed like his left arm started to bother him. Even so, the shots kept coming from both ends, and Figueiredo secured a late takedown to get some control as the fight came to a close. Respect was earned on both ends and left many wanting a rematch as soon as both men are ready to go again.
