Brandon Moreno (18-5-1 MMA, 6-0-1 UFC) may have his work cut out for him come December 12 against Deiveson Figueiredo (20-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC). He squares off for the UFC Flyweight Championship at UFC 256 in Las Vegas. With the respect that he had for who could be the face of the weight class, he plans on turning up the afterburners and going full throttle against the champion in just under two weeks before Christmas.
Less than two hours after his first flyweight title defense, Deiveson Figueiredo already verbally agreed to face top contender Brandon Moreno next month at UFC 256, multiple sources told @arielhelwani.
Moreno has verbally agreed to the fight as well, sources said. pic.twitter.com/xINyNc3ZuE
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) November 22, 2020
Accepting a fight with only three weeks of preparation, that’s admirable to anyone. Figueiredo defeated Alex Perez via submission while Moreno knocked out Brandon Royval in the first round at UFC 255. Now they headline next week’s Pay-Per-View event across from each other inside the Octagon. Despite the boldness he exhibits to the press, the challenger is still cautious of what the champion brings to the table, according to MMAJunkie.com.
“He’s a very hard rival – very hard,” Moreno said in Spanish on Hablemos MMA. “I’ve known all the time since I called him out that he’s a fighter from another planet in the sense that he’s very powerful and he’s a big fighter for the weight class. He has good conditioning. He’s explosive.”
And if the odds stacked up against Moreno in this fight aren’t enough, former UFC two-division champion Henry Cejudo isn’t sold on the #1 contender. The currently retired legend also voiced his displeasure about the current state of the bantamweight division, headed by Figueiredo.
“The only reason why Deiveson Figueiredo’s there is because of me,” Cejudo told The Schmo (via MMA Fighting). “To me, he’s the lord of nothing. I’m the one that gave him that position. I’m allowing him to babysit my belt and he’s being a pretty good babysitter in my eyes. All you have to do with a guy like Deiveson Figueiredo is make him grapple for that first round because he’s cutting a lot of weight,” Cejudo continued. “By the time that second, third round hits he’s gonna start having that heavy muscle. So I’m actually gonna pick Brandon Moreno — which, he sucks too — but I’m gonna pick him to beat Deiveson Figueiredo.”
With talk of a possible return, Cejudo has been biding his time by throwing shade at fighters, but has also been busy with wrestling tutorials and plugging his latest product, The Triple C Mindset, as we await word on his comeback.
Technique of the week. Recovering from a extended high-crotch. Today is the last day to get 40% all your Triple C wrestling Videos. 🏆🏆🏆@fanatic_wrestling pic.twitter.com/uzI5v5PNcf
— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) December 1, 2020
Motivational Monday: Why haters are your biggest fans! The Triple C Mindset System coming soon! #listen 🏆🏆🏆 pic.twitter.com/gG4RJwoStY
— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) November 30, 2020
While promoting the mindset, is he sending an extra message to the two combatants who faceoff next weekend? He just might be.
