Former bantamweight champion Petr Yan returns to action against ex-flyweight titleholder Deiveson Figueiredo at 135lbs. This will take place at the forthcoming UFC Macau event, formally taking place on November 23, 2024, at the Galaxy Arena in China. The matchup can be a pure strike fest between the two, and fans are here for it!
Leo Guimaraes (@leoguimaraesmma) was the first to report the booking on X. Petr Yan (17-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) snapped a three-fight losing streak with a win over Yadong Song in March. As for Figueiredo (24-3-1 MMA, 13-3-1 UFC), he has been on a roll since his move up to 135. The ex-UFC flyweight kingpin is now 3-0 with wins over Rob Font, Cody Garbrandt, and Marlon Vera.
Consequently, with a win over recent title challenger Vera (fought for title in March; same as Yan) Figgy is smacking in title talks. The only wrench it provides is to Merab Dvalishvili’s plans to face the ‘God of War’. With what kind of pace he has had, the new Georgian Champ was eager to face Deiveson Figueiredo as his first title defense.
As for Yan, Dvalishvili had prompted a gladiatorial No. 1 contenders matchup with Umar Nurmagomedov, 6-0 in UFC. Nevertheless, the UFC appears to want Dvalishvili vs. Nurmagomedov next with the title on the line. As such, Yan vs. Figueiredo will likely become a title eliminator.
EXCLUSIVO: UFC encaminha Petr Yan x Deiveson Figueiredo para para 23 de novembro em Macau, China.
Fui informado que ainda não se sabe se serão 3 ou 5 rounds. pic.twitter.com/Z1ZKJRBXfO
— Léo Guimaraes (@leoguimaraesmma) September 25, 2024
The 135-pound showdown is a pure skill-to-skill boxing/striking clinic. Yan is infamous for his standup sweet science. Subsequently, Figgy – ranked two spots below “No Mercy” at No. 5, is a well-rounded fighter with submission threats. Even Sean O’Malley couldn’t knock Vera down, but Figgy did! As such, fans have reacted to how good this matchup can be.
Fight fans react to Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Petr Yan booking
UFC set up a $13m performance institute in Shanghai which consequently set all eyes on Chinese fighter Zhang Weili to snag a thematic title win at home. Weili has been a long standout in sports, with viral testaments to her abilities. While that’s been that, the brass hasn’t been out of mainland China for a while now. The promotion hasn’t visited Macau since 2014’s UFC Fight Night 48: “Bisping vs. Le.”
Fans react to the UFC Macau booking (Source: X)After hitting restrictive pauses on house shows and lavish venues, brass is revisiting old flames with UFC Macau rolling in. The UFC Macau card also features several “Road to UFC” showdowns. These include Xiaocan Feng vs. Ming Shi (strawweight), Dong Hoon Choi vs. Kiru Sahota (flyweight), and so on. But the best thing to come off it is Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Petr Yan.
After snagging his first win in 2.5 years, Yan called dibs on the last pay-per-view event of the year. The Russian striker wanted Figgy for the UFC 310. However, having defeated title challenger Vera, Figueiredo inserted himself high in the pecking order and called for title shots. Now that they finally face each other, here’s what fans think.
A prominent reaction (@NickWontMiss) bills that “Figgy is hungry, this is a banger fight.” Most have commended it as a top-notch fight. The implications of violence are mind-boggling in this one. Alongside, some have also lauded the design to have Umar fight for his promised title shot while these two gradually rise to the top contender status. All in all, this will be a hot topic for a while.
