ANAHEIM, Calif. – In the mind of Deiveson Figueiredo, there is no doubt.
“It was 4-1,” Figueiredo told reporters including MMA Junkie at a UFC 270 post-fight news conference. “I mean, there were five knockdowns. It was 4-1. They could’ve just given me every round.”
Figueiredo (21-2-1 MMA, 9-2-1 UFC) defeated Brandon Moreno to win the UFC flyweight title for the second time. His opponent, however, did not agree with the judges’ scorecards that had Figueiredo winning unanimously. Both in the cage and at a post-fight news conference, Moreno (19-5-2 MMA, 7-2-2 UFC) let it be known he thinks he won.
“Crybaby,” Figueiredo said of Moreno. “Let’s go to the next one, man. Let’s take it up (during) the next one.”
In the cage immediately following his win, Figueiredo told the largely pro-Moreno, pro-Mexico crowd he’d be willing to travel into enemy territory for a title defense against Moreno in Mexico. However, Figueiredo changed his mind in between the cage and the podium.
“Yeah, I initially said Mexico,” Figueiredo said. “But I think if we go to Mexico… we might not leave. So I think that we’re considering Brazil might be a better option. … (With Mexican fans), I can definitely feel the warmth. I love when people yell at me and just swear at me. I love Mexico so much. I cherish it so much that I’m going to make a video for him eating burritos and saying how much I love Mexico, all right? I wanted to knock him out and I felt the crowd was feeling it. If it wasn’t for those 30 seconds, I think I would’ve done it.”
Bruised, bloodied and swollen, but a winner, Figueiredo thinks his immediate future will consist of a celebration among the team that helped him earn back the title he lost in early 2021. In late 2021, Figueiredo switched camps to Fight Ready MMA in Arizona under coaches Eddie Cha, Santino Defranco and Eric Albarracin.
“The first thing, going back to Scottsdale with this team that’s helped me so much,” Figueiredo said. “These guys, they gave so much of them to me, to transform my game. This is not just my belt, this is their belt.”
As of now, the lifetime series is even across the board with one win for each man, as well as a draw.
UFC 270 took place Saturday at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.
