SUMMARY
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In his first title defense, Deiveson “God of War” Figueiredo (20-1) successfully retained his UFC flyweight title as he finished Alex Perez (24-6) with a round 1 submission in UFC 255 on Saturday, November 21 (Sunday, November 22, Philippine time) at UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Figueiredo – who only needed less than two minutes to defend the UFC gold he got last July – smoothly punished Perez’s attempt to transition to the floor, catching the challenger’s head for the winning deep guillotine choke.
“I promised my master that I would do this, I told them that this would happen and this was exactly what I was going to do,” Figueiredo said. “So I trained for that and that’s exactly what happened.”
This is now Figueiredo’s fifth consecutive win and the fourth straight that ended via submission or knockout.
The reigning champion also called out No. 1 contender Brandon Moreno, who headlined the preliminary card of the event.
“I want to face Brandon Moreno, Dana make this happen, that’s the fight that I want to happen,” Figueiredo told UFC president Dana White.
Moreno (18-5-1) solidified his position for a title shot after taking a round 1 TKO victory against rising sensation Brandon Royval (12-5).
The Mexican brawler managed to outperform Royval on the floor and sneaked out few submission attempts and a nasty ground and pound that injured Royval’s arm and forced the referee to end the bout.
Moreno also believes he should be the next opponent of Figueiredo.
“This night was special for me,” said Moreno. “I get the W in the first round against Brandon Royval, he’s dangerous, I think he’s the future of this sport in the flyweight division. Tonight is my night and I’m the next one for the title shot.”
Shevchenko’s reign continues
In the co-main event, Valentina “Bullet” Shevchenko (19-3) proved that she’s unrivaled in the women’s 125-pound division as she defended her flyweight title against Brazilian underdog Jennifer Maia (18-6-1) via unanimous decision.
Maia, though, exceeded all expectations and lasted for the full 25 minutes of the championship bout. But Shevchenko kept firing from all cylinders and pulled away in the scorecards with her impressive takedowns and striking.
As her reign continues, Shevchenko eyes her potential next opponents, but believes No. 1 contender Jessica Andrade should fight one more time to earn a title shot.
“I’m ready to fight anyone, I never pick my opponent,” Shevchenko said. “I’m ready for whoever they will put in front of me. I believe there should be one more fight between Jessica Andrade versus Lauren Murphy, because Lauren Murphy, she did great to get where she is right now.”
Shevchenko picked up her sixth straight victory and ninth overall in 11 UFC fights, with her only losses coming against the hands of Brazilian champion Amanda Nunes.
Meanwhile, Shevchenko’s sister Antonina picked up a round 2 TKO win in the preliminary card of the event against Ariane Lipski.
“It’s an amazing feeling, the best feeling ever after the victory,” Valentina said. “Today we have a double amazing feeling because my sister won, I won and it’s a huge celebration for us.” – Rappler.com
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