MMAOB staff writer Adam Martin takes a deeper look at the main event of UFC 270, a five-round UFC flyweight title trilogy bout between champion Brandon Moreno and challenger Deiveson Figueiredo. The event takes place on Saturday, January 22 at Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
Brandon Moreno (-170)
Moreno (19-5-2) is the UFC flyweight champion. The 28-year-old Mexican is 7-4 overall in the UFC with notable wins over Figueiredo, Brandon Royval, and Kai-Kara France. Moreno has been in the UFC twice and both times we have seen a scrappy fighter who constantly improves and gets better every single fight. While he was once more of a brawler, Moreno has become a smarter fighter over the years and he is able to mix in other parts of his game including his slick submissions. Overall he has proven to be a capable champion and it will be interesting to see how this trilogy fight plays out.
Deiveson Figueiredo (+150)
Figueiredo (20-2-1) is the former UFC flyweight champion. The 34-year-old Brazilian is 9-3 overall in the UFC with notable wins over the likes of Moreno, Alex Perez, Alexandre Pantoja, and Joseph Benavidez. Since joining the UFC, Figueiredo has been a straight killer who has been destroying almost everyone in his path. Figueiredo possesses massive power in his hands and he also has really slick submissions which make him even more dangerous. Overall he has proven to be a great flyweight champion, but now that he’s getting up there in age, it’s fair to wonder if Figueiredo is in a decline now. After seeing the way he performed against Moreno in the rematch, and after suffering through yet another tough weight cut, it’s fair to say there are some question marks around him. That being said, when Figueiredo is at his best, he’s one of the best P4P fighters in the sport.
Fight Breakdown: Like the first two fights between these two, I’m expecting a back-and-forth battle that should be a lot of fun to watch for the fans. In the first fight, Figueiredo got the better of Moreno but he showed holes in his game and Moreno was able to capitalize on them in the rematch. It will be interesting to see how both fighters adjust to fighting each other for the third time in the trilogy. At this point, I think it’s fair to say that Moreno can take Figueiredo’s best punch, and I don’t think six months will change anything from the striking front. So this one comes down to the wrestling and how much Figueiredo has improved on the defensive front. Working with Henry Cejudo, I do believe we will see better takedown defense and an improved get-up game from Figueiredo. At the same time, I still feel like Moreno is going to be able to mix things up, and as the younger fighter, he has the ability to make more adjustments. It’s strange to see Figueiredo as the underdog given he was favored in the first two fights, but given how the rematch went, I have to pick Moreno. Either he gets Figueiredo down and subs him again or outworks him and wins a decision, but I like Moreno here.
Prediction: Brandon Moreno
