Chito Vera vs. Deiveson Figueiredo Preview
Two brawlers known for their exciting performances go to war when Chito Vera and Deiveson Figueiredo face off at UFC Abu Dhabi.
With 12 post-fight bonuses between the two, Chito Vera and Deiveson Figueiredo are no strangers to exciting fights or finishes. The former flyweight champion Figueiredo has been cruising at 135 pounds, with clean wins over both Rob Font and Cody Garbrandt since moving up in weight. His approach seems to be based more around his wrestling at Bantamweight, showing us the layers of Figgy’s game.
Chito Vera comes off a brutal beatdown in his rematch against Sean O’Malley for the bantamweight title. Vera has been a top contender in the division for years, but losses in two of his last three present a crossroads for his career. A win in this fight would insert him back into the top of the division and title picture, but a loss would be extremely costly for his fighting future.
Recap
Both men landed effectively from range early, trading shots to the body and head. Vera came in hard and overextended himself while missing a strike, leaving an opening for Figueiredo to land an early takedown. Content with sitting in guard, Figgy racked up some control time before ultimately being forced back up due to some big up-kicks from Vera. A flying knee attempt from Vera was caught by Deiveson Figueiredo, leading to another clean takedown before the round ended.
The former flyweight champion came out aggressive in Round 2, mixing the low kicks with high punches early. Vera landed some nice kicks himself but seemed to be a step behind in terms of volume. Vera’s takedown defense held up as the round progressed, leading to a technical kickboxing match in this round. Leg and body kicks were flying back and forth, with Vera taking over late after some big shots.
Two early takedowns were easily stuffed by Vera, who seemed to be finding his groove as the fight went on. Activity had picked up on both sides in Round 3, with both men exchanging bombs as the round wore on. After a massive exchange that seemed to put Figgy off balance, he dropped Vera with a big right hand. Chito quickly got back to his feet but ate some big body shots while standing up. The pace calmed after this, with Figueiredo staying smart and conserving his energy. A few takedown attempts were defended by Vera before both men decided to end the fight swinging.
The scorecards read 30-27, 29-28, and 29-28 to give Deiveson Figueiredo the crucial win at bantamweight.
UFC Fighters React to Figgy’s Well-Rounded Performance Over Chito Vera
Were you impressed with Deiveson Figueiredo’s performance? Do you think he deserves a title shot next? Let us know in the comments below!
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