This past Saturday in the co-main event of UFC Rio, we saw an intriguing matchup in the bantamweight division featuring a former world champion. Brazil’s Deiveson Figueiredo (25-5-1) returned and he looked to stop the winning streak of contender Montel Jackson (15-3).
Figueiredo fought back in May losing by submission to Cory Sandhagen. In that fight, it appeared that Figueiredo suffered a knee injury that was pretty serious, but fortunately, it wasn’t as bad as it looked. Figueiredo was cleared to return and was back in front of his home country on Saturday night.
That said, he was a pretty big underdog against Jackson who had won six fights in a row. There was a huge reach advantage for Jackson and with his striking and grappling ability, many thought that he was poised to get the biggest win of his career.
However, in the first two rounds, Figueiredo was able to do what he’s done well since moving to 135. He worked his way inside and used his wrestling to get Jackson down. Watching Figueiredo work in the grappling exchanges, it appears that his opponents are surprised by his ability and strength.
I don’t think that Montel Jackson thought that Figueiredo would be able to get him down easily at UFC Rio. However, the story of the first two rounds was Figueiredo’s ability to get the fight down and avoid damage on the feet.
The fight was pretty underwhelming and it never felt like Jackson really pushed to try and get back in the fight after getting down early. I had it pretty clearly 29-28 for Figueiredo as did two judges. One gave it to Jackson, but in the end, it was still a decision win for the former UFC champion.
What’s next after UFC Rio?
Deiveson Figueiredo made the walk ranked sixth in the bantamweight division and I think he holds serve in that spot after his win on Saturday night. I’m very curious to see what the UFC chooses to do with the former champion next.
I wouldn’t be shocked if Merab Dvalishvili and Petr Yan fight in December for a second time for the bantamweight title given Yan’s availability and Merab’s desire to fight in December. Umar Nurmagomedov and Mario Bautista fight at UFC 321 next week and the winner would likely be in line to face the winner.
There have been rumblings (but nothing is confirmed) that Sean O’Malley and Song Yadong could be fighting next. Personally, I would love to see O’Malley face Sandhagen next, but I think you’ll see O’Malley before the end of the year and the opponent that makes sense is Song.
The UFC won’t book Figueiredo against Sandhagen again so where does that leave the former flyweight champion? Honestly, it’s a pretty tough spot because I don’t see him getting any opponent ahead of him in the rankings. Instead, I think you could see him face someone like David Martinez. Martinez is 2-0 inside the octagon and he’s coming off a win against Rob Font.
The only other option I could see is the winner of Aiemann Zahabi – Chito Vera. That fight takes place this weekend at UFC Vancouver and especially if Zahabi wins, I could see that being the move.
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