At UFC on ABC 7, Marlon Vera is ready to put his title fight loss to Sean O’Malley behind him and begin rebuilding. Former two-time flyweight champ Deiveson Figueiredo stands in Vera’s 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 champ 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; 🎥: @ufc/@oscarswillis of TheMacLife
The ‘God of War’ 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 ‘Chito’ 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 Figgy’s sixth. As such, the win puts Figgy into the top 5 with one more win for the title shot.
Hence, Figgy, 36, has Sean O’Malley in his scope already. To that end (after his violently lopsided decision with ‘Chito’), he thinks O’Malley is like Muhammad Ali, tactile but won’t 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, it’s 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.
Deiveson Figueiredo meets Marlon Vera next, at UFC on ABC 7 (Source: es.agfight.com/X) 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.
Figueiredo’s 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 ‘Chito’ Vera got back to the drawing board after losing out on his title shot against Sean O’Malley. However, veteran Vera’s 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 competition are the second-most, with an apex of 10 stoppage victories (6 KOs).
“It’s a big fight in the division…why not get in there and make this guy pay?”
Marlon Vera (@chitoveraUFC) believes the fans are in for a treat during his fight against Deiveson Figueiredo at #UFCAbuDhabi 👀
— UFC News (@UFCNews) July 30, 2024
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.
