At UFC 256 two of the best flyweights in the world, Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno put on a show for the fans in an amazing battle which was eventually declared a draw.
UFC president Dana White says he thought that UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo beat challenger Brandon Moreno at UFC 256. Figueiredo (20-1-1 MMA, 9-1-1 UFC) and Moreno (18-5-2 MMA, 6-2-2 UFC) put on an all-time title fight in Saturday’s headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. They fought to a majority draw in an epic back-and-forth battle.
Both men went through tremendous punishment in the five-round contest, but the result begged a second fight to decide a conclusive winner. Although it appeared that Figueiredo had the upper hand, an untimely point deduction cost him in the end. Ultimately, the judges scored the bout a majority draw after one judge scored it 48-46 for Figueiredo and two had it 47-47 for a draw. White agreed to as much and said he intends to put them back in the octagon as soon as possible.
Dana White shares his thoughts on Deiveson Figueiredo vs Brandon Moreno
Speaking at the UFC 256 post-fight media press conference, UFC President talked about the fight and future for both the fighters.
“We’ve got to give these guys some time off – but you absolutely, positively do that rematch,” White told reporters, post-fight at UFC 256. “That’s another fun fight for us all to look forward to in 2021.”
As far as the fight itself, White said he thought the result should’ve been different. He pointed to a point deduction against Figueiredo that came after a low blow as the reason for the draw.
“I had Figueiredo winning the fight,” White said. “(After) the point deduction, the whole fight turned. Moreno started coming on stronger. He probably won that round without the point deduction. That’s when the whole fight started to turn.”
It’s unknown when the rematch between Figueiredo and Moreno will happen. White said both men can “take as much time as they need” after two bouts in 21 days.
Regardless of who you scored the fight for, or if you scored it a draw, both Figueiredo and Moreno proved that they are the top two flyweights in the world. This fight is the new contender for the fight of the year. It already is being discussed as a potential “Fight of the Year,” alongside the brutal UFC 248 title bout between Zhang Weili and Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
White didn’t give a definitive opinion on the best UFC bout of the year but said both were tremendous fights.
“Joanna and Weili were really good, too,” White said. “It was just so long ago people need to remember how damn good that fight was.”
Which is your favorite fight of the year?
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