Marlon โChitoโ Vera canโt help wondering if he made a mistake fighting Deiveson Figueiredo. Now 3-0 at the 135-pound mark, Figgy is gunning for the gold. Meanwhile, Vera just got back from challenging the gold. Should he have rested more and had an extensive camp? The fighter thinks so after his UFC on ABC 7 loss.
The MMA community was surprised when โChitoโ made a quick five-month turnaround from his title loss. He suffered a violently hard-hitting unanimous decision loss to Sean OโMalley at UFC 299. Now, Figueiredo outpointed Marlon Vera via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27). As such, Vera issued a statement on social media addressing his loss after going 2-3 in his last five.
I fail at myself last nite. I thought I was ready I felt good in the gym but at the end maybe I come back too quick after a hard tittle fight. Life doesnโt end here I still dream about big things I just need time to let go and reset. Gracias Abu Dhabi por el cariรฑo a mi familia por estar siempre a mi lado y Ecuador gracias siempre me levantarรฉ como lo he hecho en el pasado. Shukrahn Abu Dhabi โค๏ธ Iโll be back re born
Marlon โChitoโ Vera via Instagram (@chitoveraufc)
Vera took a lot of damage in his last title contest at the March pay-per-view. Only the Ecuadorian star knows how much healing he needs. During his pre-fight check-in interview with MMA Junkieโs Mike Bohn, Chito said he was fully recovered. More to it, he had plans to show Figueiredo that 135s are at a different level than flyweights. However, the switch-stance Ecuadorian struggled against Figgy.
Vera faced a knockdown for the first time in his 24-fight UFC career against Figueiredo. Vera, 31, is now on his first two-fight losing skid since 2018; he intends to take a more extended layoff. While โGod of Warโ himself is aiming for gold, thereโs no saying if the hard reset will push him to a title shot any soon again. Arguably, this was a testament to Figgyโs power more than Veraโs durability.
UFC on ABC 7 Post-fight facts: Deiveson Figueiredo poised for two-division title dip?
Undispud gold is the endgame and zenith of glory for most. But thereโs no writing in stone that this is where a fighter had to stop. Deiveson Figueiredo could join the rare club of dual-division champions and be the tenth to do so in UFC competition history. Conor McGregor remains the only simultaneous champ, while Alex โPoatanโ Pereira made it the quickest.
Figgy can have the most reigns again if he snags gold. His dominant showing against the most recent title challenger in the weight class, Marlon Vera, was something else. Alexandre Pantoja remains the berserker of the flyweight division. Meanwhile, โChitoโ is one of the most hard-chinned combatants at bantamweight. Even OโMalley couldnโt kick him out, but Figgy wobbled both him and Pantoja.
Figueiredo (24-3-1 MMA, 13-3-1 UFC) is 3-0 since he moved up in December 2023. Saturdayโs UFC on ABC 7 at Etihad Arena proved how hungry he is to outclass the competition. Figgy already made the fastest title-fight turnaround in UFC history at 21 days at UFC 255 and UFC 256. To amp up the stakes, this might happen again.
Figueiredoโs ten victories in UFC flyweight competition are the fourth-most in divisional history. Figueiredoโs 11 knockdowns and seven stoppages remain a divisional record. He had multiple reigns during his previous term as titleholder during his quadrilogy with Brandon Moreno. A build-up with โSugaโ might see him do that yet again. However, OโMalley will have his plate full with other challengers.