At UFC on ABC 7, Marlon Vera is ready to put his title fight loss to Sean OโMalley behind him and begin rebuilding. Former two-time flyweight champ Deiveson Figueiredo stands in Veraโs way. The duo fights on Saturday at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. Unlike him, though, Figueiredo is revving up with high aspirations and edges a step closer to a title shot with a win.
Subsequently, what does one do when they have high aspirations and aim at the top? They chalk it up to banter and smack talks to rise up the pecking order. Figgy won big in his second 135-pound bout against former champย Cody Garbrandt. The Brazilian finished the deeds at the 4:02 mark, R2, via rear-naked choke. Now, hoping to potentially challenge for the title, he makes a comparison.
[On how he’d scale up to Sean O’Malley] O’Malley is like Muhammad Ali, he lands a lot but never knocks anyone out… I’m like Mike Tyson.
Deiveson Figueiredo during UFC on ABC 7 Fight Week interviews; ๐ฅ: @ufc/@oscarswillis of TheMacLife
The โGod of Warโ is over the high moons with his performance at the opening placement at UFC 300. The loaded UFC on ABC 7 fight night lineup features some top crops. But perhaps defeating โChitoโ would propel him to a title shot the fastest.
Marlon Vera was a title challenger not long ago. Even though he suffered a largely one-sided unanimous decision defeat at UFC 299, he still ranks #4 in bantamweight Athlete rankings to Figgyโs sixth. As such, the win puts Figgy into the top 5 with one more win for the title shot.
Hence, Figgy, 36, has Sean OโMalley in his scope already. To that end (after his violently lopsided decision with โChitoโ), he thinks OโMalley is like Muhammad Ali, tactile but wonโt knock out. Whereas, he bills himself as HW icon Mike Tyson, whose every teed-off puch came out with intentions of a knockout. However, for now, itโs the enemy of the enemy, Vera, who he faces.
UFC on ABC 7 Tale of the Tape: Marlon Vera vs. Deiveson Figueiredo
UFC on ABC 7 features prime bantamweights in the top bill as well as the third-last scrap of the night. All of whom could make a case for the undisputed gold. Cory Sandhagen will take on the unbeaten Umar Nurmagomedov in a bantamweight main event. Deiveson Figueiredo is also expecting a quick crack at the gold.
Figueiredo (23-3-1 MMA, 12-3-1 UFC) is 2-0 since he moved up last December. At UFC 255 and UFC 256, he made the fastest title fight turnaround in UFC history in 21 days. The Brazilian (along with Brandon Moreno) is also the only one who made multiple reigns.
Figueiredoโs ten victories in UFC flyweight competition are the fourth-most in divisional history; his 11 knockdowns and seven stoppages are also the highest. His mettle to land high-volume significant strikes and peel off any stance would be a problem in any division.
Meanwhile, Marlon โChitoโ Vera got back to the drawing board after losing out on his title shot against Sean OโMalley. However, veteran Veraโs 4:24:51 total fight time in UFC bantamweight competition is the most in division history. At 21-9-1 MMA and 15-8 UFC, his 13 victories in UFC bantamweight competitionย are the second-most, with an apex of 10 stoppage victories (6 KOs).
He is one of the two fighters to score three knockdowns in back-to-back fights, and he also has two knockout victories stemming from head kicks. The question remains if he can match Figgy in the power department. All in all, their battle can be a total barnburner.