The UFC's flyweight division has been rejuvenated. The two main stars in the revival have been Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno. Their trilogy fight at UFC 270 elevated the division yet again and had fans craving one more fight between them.
Inside the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., Saturday night, Figueiredo defeated Moreno via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47) to take back the title. Figueiredo is now a two-time flyweight champion, the first one in UFC history.
He said afterward that he was interested in running it back against Moreno once more.
"I'm ready for a fourth fight against Brandon in Mexico," Figueiredo said.
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The atmosphere in the arena was electric before the first bell even rang. Moreno, a superstar in the crowd's eyes, looked like he was ready for war. He attempted to push Figueiredo into the corner to start, but Figueiredo countered any attempts at offense with jabs. Moreno did land a right hand and was attempting to bait Figueiredo, but Figueiredo landed a takedown, something he did often. Moreno looked to find an advantage with low leg kicks.
Figueiredo tried for another takedown in Round 2, but Moreno countered with a right hand. Moreno landed more leg kicks and dropped Figueiredo to the mat. Once Figueiredo got back up, the fighters landed hard kicks, with Moreno's shots looking like they hurt. Both were dancing and attempting to get into one another's heads throughout the fight.
Straight back to work to start round 2️⃣
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Figueiredo looked to clip Moreno right away in Round 3. He landed another takedown after Moreno attempted a knee. Figueiredo climbed on his back and, when up by the cage, landed a big knee to the face. Moreno recovered and then continued with calf kicks. Each fighter landed combinations as they tried to show the other up. A huge right by Figueiredo dropped Moreno before the end of the round.
SAVED BY THE BELL 🔔
— UFC (@ufc) January 23, 2022
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The crowd was mesmerized by every move and waves of emotions flowed. Figueiredo landed a big kick to start the fourth, and both went for a takedown. Moreno's legs started to swell from multiple kicks, but he used those legs to try to hurt Figueiredo. They went on to exchange kicks.
Moreno made things interesting in Round 5 with a huge takedown. He wound up sprawled on top but could not take advantage, which disappointed the crowd. Figueiredo landed multiple hooks and rocked Moreno with big blows, but Moreno countered with some blows of his own. Moreno landed crisp shots before the final bell.
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Moreno landed more strikes (106-95), but Figueiredo's takedowns ended up being a big factor in the fight.
Figueiredo, who had help in his camp in the form of Henry Cejudo, earned his first major win since November 2020. Moreno is now 4-1-1 in his last six fights.