UFC 256: Brandon Moreno out to change the game as Deiveson Figueiredo eyes 2020 Fighter of the Year
LAS VEGAS — Seconds after the conclusion of UFC 255 on Nov. 21, in which he’d finished Brandon Royval with a second left in the first round, Brandon Moreno faced what may seem like a dilemma.
He was offered a title bout against flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo. Saying yes to that would be a no-brainer. The catch, though, was that the bout would be on Dec. 12 at UFC 256, giving Moreno only three weeks to recover from his fight with Royval and to prepare for Figueiredo.
It would be something he needed to think about carefully. And he did.
“Maybe a minute,” he said, laughing, when asked how long it took him to decide to accept the bout. “Maybe 30 seconds.”
He laughed uproariously again, and that’s something quickly evident when you spend any time around Moreno. He’s easy-going, quick to laugh and doesn’t take things all that seriously.
He takes his career seriously, though, and despite not having a lot of time to train for the fight of his life, it was never a doubt to him that he’d accept the fight once it was offered.
“I think in a perfect world, I’d have the opportunity to prepare with a complete camp, maybe two months, and to really make sure that everything is the best it could be,” he said. “But this is the opportunity of a lifetime, fighting for a UFC title. It’s very important. I had no injuries in my last fight and it was very short. I am healthy, my cardio is still there and I’m in shape and I feel very strong.
“There wasn’t really much to decide. If I would have said I wanted more time, who knows what they would have done? And when you’re in a long camp, it’s stressful when every day, day after day, you’re thinking of the fight, thinking of your opponent, thinking of the opportunity. I’m just ready.”
Figueiredo had the same decision to make. He submitted Alex Perez in the first round on the same night, and came out of the bout unscathed. The only problem he had after UFC 255 was that he wasn’t awarded a post-fight $50,000 bonus for his submission.
At the news conference that night, his manager, Wallid Ismail, was entertaining as he pleaded for the UFC to give Figueiredo a bonus.
Sure enough, a few days later, UFC president Dana White summoned Figueiredo to his office and gave him $50,000.
“Dana just told me he’d made a mistake on fight night and that I should have gotten it then,” Figueiredo said. “So that was good. My secret is going in there and trying to put on a great show every time. If you are interested in getting a bonus, you need to put on a show and make people remember you.”
Each man had the opportunity to see the other up close in their most recent bouts, so there should be no secrets or surprises when they get into the cage on Saturday.
Moreno was impressed with Figueiredo’s win over Perez, but he said he remains confident that he’ll be the new champion and be able to lift the sport in his native Mexico.
“He has really good abilities; I can’t lie and say he doesn’t,” Moreno said of the champion. “He is powerful and he can take the damage well. But I’m faster than him and I can give out some damage, too. I am more technical than he is and with my speed and my technical [ability], I believe I can do this.”
Moreno said that when he began to train as a 12-year-old, he was immediately taken by the various disciplines that make up MMA. Boxing is one of the most popular sports in Mexico, and Moreno said he loves boxing, but said he loves mixing everything together far more.
He thinks a win can usher in what he called a new era in combat sports for Mexico.
“Boxing is the main sport in Mexico and it’s very important,” he said. “This sport is so new in my country and it’s exciting to believe I have the opportunity to change the game in Mexico. There are a couple of things. First, I can be an inspiration because I can show all the people who try to do sports that they can make it to the top if they put in the work. If I can do it, so can they.
“And this sport is growing all over the world, but I think if I win this title, it’s going to bring a lot more attention to it in Mexico and I think people will fall in love with it the more they learn about it.”
Figueiredo learned all that he says he needs to know when he watched Moreno’s win over Royval. He said he wasn’t impressed by Moreno and said he didn’t think he was breaking down Royval prior to Royval’s shoulder issue that forced stoppage of the fight.
Figueiredo is focused on a finish that he hopes will give him momentum in a late charge for 2020 Fighter of the Year. He’s 3-0 thus far in 2020, with submissions of Perez and Joseph Benavidez and a TKO of Benavidez on Feb. 29.
He said his body feels great and he’s looking to make a statement not only by winning but by doing so in emphatic fashion.
“I feel like what I have done, I can be [Fighter of the Year] when I knock out [Moreno],” Figueiredo said. “My mind is totally focused on knocking him out and everyone saying, ‘Wow!’ It’s going to be amazing to go back home after all of this.
“My birthday is on the 18th and so I can go home as the champion, maybe the Fighter of the Year, and give my family and friends an incredible party.”
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