Urijah Faber: Ex-UFC champ Deiveson Figueiredo staying at flyweight 'a smart move'

UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber supports Deiveson Figueiredo’s decision to remain at flyweight.

Figueiredo announced that he’s moving up to bantamweight after losing his UFC flyweight title to Brandon Moreno in their fourth fight at UFC 283 in January, but opted to stay at 125 pounds.

Figueiredo (21-3-1 MMA, 10-3-1 UFC) is projected to face Manel Kape on July 8 in a 125-pound bout at UFC 290, and his manager and coach, Faber, thinks it’s the right move.

“You know, when he went back home and started the training regimen – he’s still healing up by the way, so that’s not 100 percent signed and delivered on this fight,” Faber told The Schmo. “He just realized this is a big deal in the fight world, and he wants to give himself every advantage to win, and he can still make that weight, you know. Three more fights, he said he feels comfortable in three more fights before he makes the move up. And why not? I think it’s a smart move.”

Though Figueiredo has missed weight only once in a flyweight title fight against Joseph Benavidez in February 2020, his struggle to make 125 is well documented.

Figueiredo’s past four fights have come against Moreno in flyweight title fights. Their first fight was ruled a majority draw, with Figueiredo retaining his belt. Moreno then dethroned him in the rematch at UFC 263 before Figueiredo reclaimed his title in their trilogy at UFC 270. However, Moreno was able to put a stamp on their rivalry when he scored a TKO doctor’s stoppage win to unify the flyweight belts in January.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 290.