Deiveson Figueiredo isn’t interested in fighting Cody Garbrandt so soon.
The newly crowned UFC Flyweight Champion is coming off a dominant victory over Joseph Benavidez last month at UFC Fight Night 172. Since that time, rumors have circulated about Figueiredo potentially defending his belt against former UFC Bantamweight Champion Cody Garbrandt next.
Garbrandt stated recently that he still intends to fight at 125 pounds and sounded very confident in a potential match-up against Figueiredo for the belt:
“I think he’s a great fighter,” Garbrandt said. “He’s tough. Everyone is tough in the UFC. He has a lot of holes I’ll be able to tackle and see. Joe hurt him a lot in the first fight. He’s got good submission skills, good jiu-jitsu, but my wrestling and jiu-jitsu (are) probably overlooked a lot of the time because I never have to use (them).
“I feel very confident wherever the fight goes. I can dictate the pace or where I want to put it. I think he gasses a lot. I’ve been in 25-minute fights with some of the best in the world so I feel like my gas tank and cardio and conditioning will never be a problem for me.”
On paper, the bout between a former UFC Bantamweight Champion and Figueiredo sounds very appealing, and even Dana White has hinted at the possibility of the two fighters clashing for the 125-pound belt soon. However, Figueiredo isn’t exactly on board with the title match as the flyweight champ feels that Garbrandt needs to prove himself at 125 pounds first before jumping ahead of worthy challengers:
“We want him to prove he can make 125 pounds and fight someone in my weight class,” Figueiredo said to MMA Fighting. “After that, if he wins, he can come fight me. But we don’t agree with him coming down and skipping the line and going straight for the belt against me. He needs to prove he can make 125 and fight someone. It would be unfair if the UFC puts him straight for the belt. I think the UFC has to respect the others that worked hard for a title shot.”
In terms of who should challenge for the title next, Figueiredo is interested in fighting either Brandon Moerno or Askar Askarov, who currently hold their place at No. 2 and 3 respectively:
“I think Brandon Moreno would be a great fight, or even [Askarov],” Figueiredo said. “It’s up to the UFC to decide which one is next.”