In the first prelim of the stacked UFC 300 card on Saturday night, we saw a battle between two former world champions kick off the historic evening. Former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo (23-3-1) was looking to win his second straight since moving to bantamweight against former champion Cody Garbrandt (14-6) who had won two in a row.
Both men had so much to gain from this matchup. Garbrandt had won two in a row and Figueiredo was ranked inside the top ten at 135. This was the former bantamweight champions chance to get back in the top ten meanwhile Figueiredo was looking to take another step towards bantamweight title contention.
Both men were very cautious in the first round respecting the power that each man possessed. That said, the speed and accuracy of Garbrandt was on full display in the first round. Figueiredo landed a few shots here and there, but the first round belonged to the former UFC bantamweight champion.
In the second round, Figueiredo was able to land a takedown on Garbrandt. Garbrandt tried to scramble but he ended up giving up his back which led to Figueiredo getting an arm triangle. Garbrandt fought out and tried to explode up but gave up his back once again and left his chin exposed. Figueiredo immediately locked in a rear naked choke and Garbrandt was forced to tap moving the former UFC flyweight champ to 2-0 at 135.
What’s next after UFC 300?
This was a huge win for Figueiredo who is marching towards bantamweight title contention. The rankings came out today and Figueiredo is up to sixth at 135 meaning he’s likely only one more big win away from serious title contention. If you ask me, I think there’s a perfect opponent for his next fight.
in looking at the rankings, I think the perfect fight for Figueiredo is a matchup with Petr Yan. Yan is currently ranked third at 135 and he’s coming off a win against Song Yadong back at UFC 299. That win snapped an extensive losing streak from Yan and got him right back in the title picture. In my opinion, it’s the perfect time to pair up these two former champs.
Regarding the other contenders in front of Figueiredo, Henry Cejudo is likely lining up for a matchup with Chito Vera. I think the UFC is going to have Cory Sandhagen fight Umar Nurmagomedov which leaves Yan and Figueiredo considering Merab Dvalishvili is going to be the next challenger for Sean O’Malley. The bantamweight division has a path for the top seven guys and that path includes Petr Yan – Deiveson Figueiredo