deiveson figueiredo makes his first UFC flyweight title defense at the upcoming UFC 255. His opponent will be the rising Alex Perez, who replaced Cody Garbrandt following his injury.
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Deiveson Figueiredo -310
The God of War truly deserves such a nickname. From 19 of his wins, 16 came via either KO or submission, two of the most impressive against Joseph Benavidez. Figueiredo (19-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) defeated one of UFC’s biggest stars twice in four months, both times following a nasty stoppage. The first one was a second-round knockout, and after that, Figueiredo recorded the first-round submission, winning the flyweight title.
Figueiredo dominates Benavidez for the rear naked choke submission
Your new UFC Flyweight Champion 👑🇧🇷 #UFCFightIsland2 https://t.co/GNclorCMJq
— SIDELINE (@SidelineFamily) July 19, 2020
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Overall, he is the most versatile fighter in the division, and according to the majority of MMA experts, Figueiredo could establish himself as one of the most dominant figures in the organization. His fight style is very explosive and attractive, and he doesn’t have a weak spot that could be used for making some strategy. Once sensing blood, he turns into a beast and hunts his opponent all over the octagon, shifting to the higher gear in a matter of seconds.
Alex Perez +235
Perez (24-5 MMA, 6-1 UFC) recently defeated Jussier Formiga, who holds the only win over Figueiredo so far. He devastated the now-former UFC member with leg kicks, showing a pretty interesting performance. Previously, Perez defeated Jordan Espinosa after an arm-triangle choke, and both of these matches ended in the first round.
Alex Perez (-137) with the strategical leg kicks beats Formiga via TKO!
Perez is the 11th different fighter in UFC history to win via finish by leg kicks. 💪 🦵
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) June 6, 2020
His lone loss in the UFC came in November 2018, in the finals of the UFC’s Heavy Hitters, once Benavidez KOd the fellow American after 4:21 inside the first. Now even though most of his recent bouts finished after a stoppage, Perez likes going to the distance against his rivals, and in those situations, his record is near perfect, 12-1. That one failure came almost nine years ago, vs. John MaCalolooy. His game plan is opposite to Figueiredo’s, with Perez mostly being orientated to creating the difference on the scoreboard, instead of chasing for the finishes.
Prediction
Perez shouldn’t be a problem for Figueiredo, whose overall qualities are much higher than the challenger’s. The Brazilian is, for now, in a league of his own when talking about the flyweight division, and the chances of seeing Perez endangering the current champ are virtually non-existing. This contest should see Figueiredo completing the job in three rounds.
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