Usually a trilogy fight signals the end of a rivalry. Ideally, one fighter picks up a couple of wins, while the other wins just one. But in a best of 3 situation, what happens if there is a tie?
That is just what Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno are going through. With the fight at one each, and a tie, a reported fourth fight was on the cards. While a fourth matchup between these two rivals might appeal to certain faction of fans, the idea does not appeal at all to former champ Henry Cejudo.
Deiveson Figueiredo lost his Flyweight title to Brandon Moreno in 2021. But in January of 2022, he was able to reclaim his title with a decision victory. The win put their their record against each other at one-a-piece, with the the first fight ending in a tie.
After the fight, Fiegueiredo stated that he would be interested in a fourth fight. While nothing regarding that fourth fight has been made official, former two-division champ Henry Cejudo does not support the idea of a fourth fight between the two. Cejudo, who is also a part of Figueiredo’s coaching team, wants fresh blood for his student:
” If Kai Kara-France can get his defense right and prevent Moreno from getting on his back, he can beat Moreno. But if he does not work on that area, it will be an easy fight for Moreno. That being said, I’d love go against Kai Kara-France. Bring in new blood. He has already beaten Brandon Moreno.”
“I was never with that fourth fight. I thought that was stupid, and I think now he realizes how stupid that was. You can’t have two guys holding up the division. Bring new blood, entertain the division, and the future you can have the fourth fight.”
Interim Flyweight Title Bout
With Figueiredo suffering from injury sustained from his last fight against Moreno, he is expected to be out until the end of the year. The UFC has thus decided to put in an interim title match between Brandon Moreno and Kai Kara-France. The two previously met in 2019, when Moreno picked up a decision win over the Kiwi.
The interim title bout will reportedly be the co-main event at UFC 277. Moreno will be hoping to get a ticket to the fourth fight, while a Kara-France victory will set him up for a first shot at undisputed UFC gold.
Figueiredo is not on board with the idea of an interim title fight, and has called his “plastic belt” the real one. He has, however, been slammed by other fighters in the division for complaining.
