Deiveson Figueiredo promises a “completely different camp” for his UFC 269 trilogy bout with flyweight champion Brandon Moreno, starting with a move to the United States.
“Deus da Guerra” fought to a majority draw and then lost via submission to Moreno in his most two recent appearances under the bright lights of the UFC, having his six-fight unbeaten streak snapped and losing the 125-pound belt in the process.
As he prepares to face the Mexican talent a third time on Dec. 11, Figueiredo announces, on the latest episode of MMA Fighting’s Portuguese-language podcast Trocação Franca, his decision to work with former UFC titleholder Henry Cejudo.
“I’m talking to Henry Cejudo and Eric Albarracin to go there and do my camp focused on this guy, on getting back my belt that I borrowed him,” said Figueiredo, who plans on leaving Brazil to train with Cejudo in the first week of October.
“I want to live an athlete’s life, that’s why I’ll leave Brazil and live overseas so I can get that belt back and keep it for a long time. If the team is good, no doubt that I’m going there for good.
Figueiredo opened his own gym in Brazil ahead of the Moreno rematch earlier this year but regrets spending too much energy running the gym instead of focusing on the upcoming title defense. “Deus da Guerra” has fixed that, hiring a group of people to run the business so he can focus on being a full-time fighter.
The Brazilian flyweight has traded shots with Cejudo in the past, pursuing a potential clash with the former two-division UFC champion and Olympic gold medalist, but has decided to train with him now since “we saw that Cejudo can’t make 125 pounds anymore.”
“I’ve contacted [Cejudo] when I lost to Brandon Moreno and he told me to control my weight better, otherwise I would lose again every time I fought Brandon,” Figueiredo said. “I disagree, man. I just wasn’t well. But I’ve fixed that now.”
With wins over the likes of Joseph Benavidez (twice), Alex Perez, Alexandre Pantoja, John Moraga and Tim Elliott in the UFC, Figueiredo wants to make Moreno pay inside the octagon to end 2021 as the flyweight king.
“I’m training hard to do a [good] game against him, especially in the striking area that I trust a lot,” Figueiredo said. “But, if he makes a mistake, I’ll catch him. I’ll work hard on my takedowns and takedown defense. If he goes to the ground with me it’s going to be way different now.
“I lay down at night and keep imagining it, ‘if I can submit this guy, that’s a nice payback.’ I’ll go back home relaxed, with my head held high, to celebrate with my crew.”
