Figueiredo, Shevchenko defend their flyweight belts at UFC
Published on: Tuesday, November 24, 2020
By: AP
File photo of Deiveson Figueiredo (right) as he knees Alexandre Pantoja during a mixed martial arts bout at UFC 240 in Edmonton, Alberta in July of 2019.
LAS VEGAS: Not so long ago, the UFC men’s flyweight division was so thin and so boring that Dana White considered dropping the whole weight class.A brilliant Brazilian champion nicknamed the “God of War” has changed everything for the smallest men on the UFC roster.
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Deiveson Figueiredo stopped Alex Perez with a guillotine choke in the first round at UFC 255 at the weekend, defending his men’s 125-pound belt for the first time with another impressive stoppage.
Valentina Shevchenko defended the women’s flyweight title with a surprisingly challenging unanimous decision over Jennifer Maia at the UFC Apex gym on the promotion’s corporate campus in its hometown. Figueiredo (20-1) earned his record-tying seventh stoppage victory in the 125-pound division by clamping onto Perez’s neck out of a scramble at 1:57 in the opening round.
Perez (24-6) had nearly taken Figueiredo’s back an instant before the champ finished the entertaining fight with the flair and skill that have made him a rising mixed martial arts star in the UFC’s least popular weight class.
“I came in here with no pressure,” Figueiredo said. “I know this is my belt. I know I’m going to be the champion for a long time. I came here to do what I told everybody I’m going to do. I said to everybody, ‘I’m going to finish this fight in the first round.’ And I finished the fight in the first round.”
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Figueiredo claimed his title earlier this year with his second consecutive victory over Joseph Benavidez, finally ascending to the peak of a UFC division with only two previous champions. Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson dominated the flyweight ranks for six years before Henry Cejudo dethroned him in 2018.
“I came here to knock out, to submit everybody,” Figueiredo said. “I want to dominate this division. I want to give a good show for the people.”
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Figueiredo’s exciting victory fits the plan for the UFC, which would love to spark public interest in the quiet flyweight division with a dominant title reign by Figueiredo, a former sushi chef and hairdresser’s assistant from the mouth of the Amazon.
With 17 stoppages in his first 20 career victories, Figueiredo’s ability to finish his fights is unusual in the flyweight division _ and exactly what it needs to attract fans.
“He looked incredible tonight,” White said. “He’s fun to watch. He can knock you out. He can submit you. He’s got that meanness to him. If you don’t like this guy, stop watching fights. You need to find a new hobby if you don’t like watching him.”Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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