UFC 270: Deiveson Figueiredo reclaims flyweight title in instant classic with Brandon Moreno (Video)

Deiveson Figueiredo reclaims flyweight title in instant classic with Brandon Moreno.

Deiveson Figueiredo promised to get his flyweight belt back from Brandon Moreno and he grinded his way to a unanimous decision win at UFC 270.

Figueiredo started his output with a series of nasty low calf kicks in the opening rounds. He appeared to impact Moreno’s movement early and often, able to land some powerful punches as the fight went on.

Moreno’s activity with his boxing picked up as the fight went on, but his movement was badly compromised from Round 3 onward. At the end of Round 3 after a wild exchange, Figueiredo dropped Moreno with a powerful right hook that nearly ended the fight.

In the championship rounds, Figueiredo used his movement and clinch work to damage Moreno’s body and legs. He appeared to stun Moreno, but Moreno rebounded in a big way with some heavy combinations of his own. Particularly with his jab, Moreno had Figueiredo in trouble in Rounds 4 and 5.

In the closing seconds, Figueiredo and Moreno put caution to the wind with wild exchanges as the fight ended. After five rounds of nonstop action, Figueiredo earned the decision on the scorecards.

Following the win, Figueiredo called for a fourth fight between him and Moreno, this time in Mexico.

Deiveson Figueiredo closes out an all-time great trilogy with Brandon Moreno

Moreno earned the title over Figueiredo last year at UFC 263. After dominating the early rounds of the fight on the feet, Moreno took the fight to the ground and sunk in a rear-naked choke to earn the belt.

Before that, Moreno and Figueiredo had gone to battle once before at UFC 256. A low blow by Figueiredo during the fight resulted in a point deduction, with the instant classic ending up as a majority draw.

Moreno’s victories that preceded Figueiredo included wins over Brandon Royval, Kai Kara-France, and Jussier Formiga. He went from being the last pick on The Ultimate Fighter and eventually being cut by the UFC, to realize a championship dream.

Figueiredo helped bring the flyweight division relevance after back-to-back wins over Joseph Benavidez. He solidified his position on the pound-for-pound list with a quick finish over Alex Perez before the Moreno fights.

With the victory over Moreno, Figueiredo is the flyweight champion once again, but a fourth fight between these two stars could potentially still be on the table.

UFC 270 took place on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, live from the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA. Follow along with FanSided MMA, who is on-site, for all your news and highlights.