The UFC flyweight division was on the verge of abolition only 11 months ago. Now, he’s probably built the best MMA fight of 2020.
In one of the best fights of the year, Davison Figueroa and Brandon Moreno fought for a majority draw (48-46, 47-47, 47-47) in the UFC Flyweight title fight on Saturday night at the UFC 256 main event in Lyceum. Vegas. Defending flyweight champion Figueroa retained the title due to a draw. It was only the fourth draw in UFC Championship history.
“We need a match again,” Moreno, the first Mexican-born fighter to compete for the UFC title, said in his postfight interview. “We need that rematch. I think so. For myself, for Figueroa, for the fans, for everyone. For the game, of course.”
UFC President Dana White called Figueroa-Moreno the best fight in UFC flightweight history and said he wanted to match again “absolutely, positively”.
“It’s another fun fight for all of us to look forward to in 2021,” he said.
The turn was filled with wild, hard exchange. Both men tag each other with hard combinations and head kicks. When one seemed to gain momentum, the other would roar back loudly.
“I’m open to it if they want to put it in front of me in the next fight.”
Figueroa said in his postfight interview that he contracted a stomach infection on Friday night and was in hospital until 2 a.m. Saturday.
In February, Figueroa lost weight further in a fight with Joseph Benvidez for the empty flyweight title. He kept the belt empty by defeating Benvides by a second-round critique, as he was disqualified from becoming a champion after losing weight.
At the time, the future of the department was uncertain. The UFC shared with Vyas in late 2017 and 2018 that it would be abolished. To date, the Flyweight division has been heading back-to-back UFC pay-per-view cards to complete the year.
White was credited by UFC co-match producer Mick Maynard for rebuilding the flyweight division, which he described as “one of the most exciting divisions of the UFC now.”
“And tonight, we gave the potential fight of the year and the biggest fight possible in department history,” White said.
This was the fastest reversal for a champion or challenger in UFC history. Figueroa and Moreno both competed in UFC 255 on November 21 – just three weeks ago. In UFC 255, Figueroa finished Alex Perez by guillotine square – the fastest submission in UFC flyweight history (1 minute, 57 seconds) – and Moreno defeated Brandon Roywal by first round TKO.
While the UFC lost its scheduled UFC 256 main event – a bantamweight title fight between champion Petr Yan and Aljamen Sterling – to fill the promotion tagged Figueroa and Moreno. And they did this with epic.
Figueirado, known for his first-round barrage, struck Moreno early, moving forward and landing a hard shot. But Moreno, unlike many Figueroa opponents, did not go away. In fact, Moreno had strong moments in the second, including a huge overhand right and a large combination at the end of the round.
Things got a little weird in the third. Figueroa landed a straight left kick under the belt, which sent Moreno to his knees. Referee Jason Herzagn cut an issue for an illegal, damaging shot from Figueroa.
“The referee did his job,” Figueroa said.
With a big fourth round full of long combinations – Moreno came back – punching the body and the head and on the head kicks. Figueroa, despite being tired, was able to make a strong finish in five. In the final seconds, he used a judo throw to knock Moreno to his head and then score by ground-and-pound.
Judge Sal D’Mato and Junichiro Camizo both drew the match. D’Amato beat Figueroa in the first and fifth rounds and the third 9-9 due to a point deduction. Kamijo won 9-9 in the third, with Figueroa winning the first and second rounds. Judge Derek Cleary won 9-9 in the third, with Figueroa winning the first, second and fifth rounds.
ESPN His M.M.A. Figueroa was ranked 7th in the world in the pound-for-pound list. Figueroa and Moreno are ranked No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, on the flyweight by ESPN, behind former UFC flyweight champ Demetrius Johnson, the best fighters of all time.
The card happened inside the UFC Apex, a place across the street from the Botany Vegas corporate corporate campus. It was the final pay-view for 2020 for the UFC, the first major sports organization to return after a coronavirus-related hiatus.
Figueroa (20-1-1) is unbeaten in the UFC at 6 and 10 out of 11 overall. Nicknamed the “God of War”, Figueroa stopped Benavides from winning the empty flyweight title in July with a first-round TKO. This was his second title defense. Figueirado, 32, is tied with Johnson with the highest finish in UFC flyweight history (seven).
“My fans are used to seeing knockouts in the first round, but I fought all five rounds and I felt like I performed superbly,” Figueroa said.
Moreno (18-5-2) is unbeaten in straight sixes with a 7-2-2 UFC record. “The Assassin’s Creed” was cut in 2018 after two consecutive drops by the UFC. At the time, B was considering leaving the promotion division. Moreno, 26, won the Legacy Fighting Alliance title out of the B promotion in 2019 and was brought back to the UFC just three months later. It’s 3-0-2-2 after the breakup.
“Further this week, [Moreno] Referring to the legendary Mexican Berkser, White told everyone that his hero was Julio Cesar Chavez. “When people remember him and his career, he wants to be remembered like Julio Cesar Chavez.” When you look at typical Mexican fighters, they are prototypes. … He looked so pretty tonight. “
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