All hell broke loose in the main event of UFC 256 as Deiveson “God of War” Figueiredo (20-1-1) survived Brandon “The Assassin Baby” Moreno (18-5-2) to retain his flyweight title via majority draw on Saturday, December 12 (Sunday, December 13, Philippine time) at UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
There were absolutely no signs that both fighters fought just two weeks ago in the same card as Figueiredo and Moreno exchanged heavy blows in the entire 25 minutes of the fight and made a case for a potential Fight of the Year nod.
Figueiredo banked on his explosiveness for both offense and defense in the first two rounds of the fight while Moreno matched the champion’s pace with his active hands and takedown attempts.
The action-packed bout, however, was momentarily halted in the 3rd round after Figueiredo’s front kick landed below the belt of Moreno, which resulted in a deducted point for the Brazilian champion.
The Mexican challenger recovered from the illegal blow and had his big moment in the 4th round as he almost brought the “God of War” down to his knees with his loaded left hand and head kicks, mixed up with his timely takedowns.
But despite looking gassed in the 4th, Figueiredo regained his explosiveness in the final round and scored a last-second takedown with a bit of ground and pound to somewhat tip the scale back in his favor.
The fight – which is being touted as the best match in the flyweight division – ended with 47-46 (Figueiredo), 47-47, 47-47 scorecard.
During the post-match interview, an emotional Figueiredo revealed that he had food poisoning and stayed in the hospital for a while.
“I had an infection in the stomach yesterday, I was in the hospital until 2 am” Figueiredo said. “I didn’t know how I’d perform but hopefully, I did a great job, I came in here I put blood, sweat, and tears into this and I have to thank my team to put this performance tonight.”
The champion also mentioned that he would be open for another run against Moreno.
“If they want to put [Moreno] in front of me the next fight, I’m open for that,” he said. “Maybe with a full training camp I’ll be able to neutralize his game but right now I need to go back and spend my time with my family and relax for a bit.”
This is now the second successful title defense of Figueiredo since taking the throne last July. Just last November, Figueiredo also headlined a PPV event and defended the title against Alex Perez.
In the co-main event, Charles “do Bronx” Oliveira (30-8, 1NC) had a phenomenal performance and completely manhandled the former lightweight interim champion Tony “El Cucuy” Ferguson (25-5) to pick up a unanimous decision victory.
The Brazilian grappler wasted no time and dominated Ferguson in all aspects of the fight. Oliveira worked on the ground in the first round and locked in a tight last-second armbar, but Ferguson displayed extreme toughness and managed to hold on until the bell rang.
Oliveira shook off the former champion’s perseverance in the remaining rounds and muscled his way to the victory through his masterful ground control.
“Nobody has done to Tony Ferguson what I just did,” Oliveira said. “I’m proving that I have what it takes to be champion and that I will be champion next year.”
This is now Oliveira’s eighth straight victory, while Ferguson drops his second straight bout. Last May, Ferguson saw his 12-match win streak ended in the hands of Justin Gaethje.
Meanwhile, Kevin “Trailblazer” Holland (21-5) extended his winning streak by knocking out Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza (26-9) in the opening round of their fight.
While Souza brought the fight in his comfort zone, Holland still managed to create enough separation while on the ground and unleashed a powerful right hand that shut the lights off for the Brazilian veteran.
With his victory, Holland now won his fifth straight fight – which all happened in 2020. Holland was originally scheduled to fight Jack Hermansson last Fight Night but tested positive from COVID-19 a week prior to the event.
In other fights of the main card, Ciryl Gane (7-0) picked up a controversial knockout victory against former world champion Junior Dos Santos (21-9). While Mackenzie Dern (10-1) took a hard-fought decision win over Virna Jandiroba (16-2)
Cub Swanson (27-11), on the other hand, wrapped up the preliminary card by finishing Daniel Pineda (27-14, 2NC) in the 2nd round with a solid right hand. – Rappler.com
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.