On October 11th, the UFC returns to Rio and they are bringing a helluva card to the Brazilian fans. This morning, the promotion announced several fights for the card and one fight features the return of a former world champion. https://twitter.com/ufc/status/1958137193190301934
Former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo (24-5-1) is back as he takes on 15th ranked bantamweight Montel Jackson (15-2). Figueiredo is currently ranked sixth so this is a huge opportunity for Jackson to jump into the title picture.
Jackson earns this shot against the former champion on the heels of six straight wins inside the octagon. Jackson earned a UFC contract on The Contender Series and has gone 9-2 in eleven fights. Most recently, he defeated Daniel Marcos by decision back in May.
Former UFC Champ Returns
That same night, Deiveson Figueiredo took on Cory Sandhagen in the main event. The fight ended in the second round after Figueiredo suffered a knee injury. I was in attendance and it felt like we wouldn’t see the former flyweight champion for a significant amount of time.
However, the injury wasn’t as bad as we originally thought and now he’s returning to fight in front of his home country. The former flyweight champ got off to a strong start at 135 winning three in a row. However, he’ll need to beat Montel Jackson in Rio if he hopes to avoid a third straight loss.
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