Before facing Cory Sandhagen in the main event of UFC Des Moines, Deiveson Figueiredo isn’t concerned about his weight.
Following a decision loss to Petr Yan in November, Figueiredo comes into the fight as a sizable +350 underdog on FanDuel. Since the battle, pictures of Figueiredo appearing ill have gone viral. He claims that these pictures were taken months ago and that he had no weight problems before the fight.
“The pictures that you see there are from a time when I was coming off injury. So I had injuries in the groin area muscles, and I was taking cortisone, and I was very overweight,” Figueiredo said at UFC Des Moines media day. “But people don’t need to worry. I’m going to make weight. I’ve always been very professional in my life, and I’m not going to stop being professional now.”
Being a former flyweight, Figueiredo’s absence at bantamweight would come as a bit of a shock. As the Brazilian claims, he is a professional and has only missed weight once in his career.
With a victory at UFC Des Moines, Deiveson Figueiredo expects to be considered for a title chance
The focus shifts to Deiveson Figueiredo’s Saturday bout against Cory Sandhagen when he weighs in on Friday morning.
Although Figueiredo is aware that defeating Sandhagen won’t be simple, he has faith in his abilities to raise his hand. The Brazilian thinks he might have a shot at the crown if he manages to pull off the upset.
“I’m a guy that’s now 37, so I can’t miss out on this opportunity,” Figueiredo said. “Beating Cory on Saturday, I’ll get on the microphone and ask UFC to get me that title shot.”
It would be quite unexpected for Figueiredo to win and have a shot at the title because Petr Yan, who defeated him the last time, would be in front of him. However, the Brazilian thinks that a convincing victory over Sandhagen on Saturday night will give him a chance to win the title.
Figueiredo is coming off a loss to Yan and has a 24-4-1 record going into UFC Des Moines. Prior to then, he had won three consecutive bouts, his first three at bantamweight.
SHARE
