It looks like a flyweight clash is in the works for UFC 290, as Deiveson Figueiredo will take on manel kape.
The event continues to gain more star power and is shaping up to be one of the most stacked UFC events of the year. The fight came as a bit of a surprise when Figueiredo announced that he was moving up to bantamweight. After his loss to flyweight champion Brandon Moreno, it seemed like he was done with flyweight, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Kape has an incredible opportunity as he can move into title contention if he defeats the former flyweight champion. He is coming off a unanimous decision win over David Dvorak last December. The former Rizin bantamweight champion is currently riding a three-fight winning streak and is the No. 9-ranked flyweight in the UFC.
‘Deus Da Guerra’ is coming off his loss to Moreno, which saw him lose his flyweight championship by technical knockout due to a medical stoppage. The fight was his fourth consecutive fight against ‘The Baby Assassin’, so he will have a new opponent when he returns to 125 pounds.
It will be interesting to see how Figueiredo performs, especially after it looked like he was ready to compete at 135 pounds.
Deiveson Figueiredo pointed to a fight with Dominick Cruz
Prior to reports of his return to flyweight, Deiveson Figueiredo he was targeting a bantamweight fight with Dominick Cruz.
while talking to mixed martial arts fightsprevious ufc The flyweight champion made his intentions known that he wanted to fight the former bantamweight champion. It would have been a test for him, as he was looking to make his 135-pound debut against one of the best fighters to ever compete at bantamweight.
He said:
“It would be a great first fight at 135 [lbs]. He is a former champion, I am a former champion, so he would be a guy with a name and a great level to receive me at 135 [lbs]. That would be great.” [h/t MMA Fighting]
Obviously, the fight didn’t materialize, so the former flyweight champion will continue his career at 125 pounds for now.
