Figueiredo Opens Up On Illness Prior To Moreno Fight At UFC 256
UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo is not satisfied with the UFC 256 main event result and wants to fight Brandon Moreno again.
At UFC 256, Figueiredo and Moreno fought to a majority draw after two judges scored the contest 47-47. The flyweight champion retained his title, but not the way he wanted to.
“Won All Rounds”
Speaking to MMA Fighting, Figueiredo said that he has rewatched his fight against Moreno, and believes he won every round, except for maybe the third round, in which he had one point deducted for a low blow.
“Analysing every round, I won all rounds. Unfortunately, I don’t know what happened for them not to give me the [win],” Figueiredo complained. “There was that point deduction, but even with a draw in that round I still won all rounds. Now I’ll go back for this rematch and break Moreno so there is no doubt anymore.”
Moreno won the fourth-round of their five-round war on all three judges’ scorecards, but Figueiredo disagrees, as he believes he was the aggressor throughout the fight.
“I didn’t give him one single round,” Figueiredo said. “I walked forward the entire time, attacking Moreno. I had an immediate answer for every attack he gave. To me, in my concept, I won all five rounds.”
The Rematch
Immediately after the fight, UFC president Dana White said that the two will run it straight back. And the Brazilian promises it will be a completely different fight the second time around.
“I want this rematch so it leaves no doubt. I want to be well and show my work. That guy that fought Moreno, that wasn’t me,” Figueiredo insisted. “He can be sure of that. I’ll train hard for him now, and it will be a completely different fight.”
Dealing With Sickness
With four finishes in his last five wins, the reigning champion entered the Octagon as a heavy favourite at UFC 256, but Moreno exceeded expectations by putting up a great fight. For Figueiredo however, his performance had more to do with his personal struggles than his opponent’s toughness.
“I had that infection that almost took me out of the fight. My father taught me to be a man and I didn’t want to pull out. I said to myself, I want to fight and bring this win home,” Figueiredo said. “I was warming up and had no idea what would happen in this fight. I had a feeling it would be a tough one because that infection completely took me out of the game. Inside me I knew I wouldn’t be able to be the fighter I am. I like to finish people, but something inside of me said it wouldn’t be easy — and that’s what really happened.”
Figueiredo recalled that he began to feel unwell the evening before the fight, and that despite knowing that seeking medical attention could put the fight in jeopardy, decided to see a doctor anyway.
“My intestine stopped working and I started to feel some pain half an hour later. I was in the conference room where Dana [White] talks about the bonuses and I had to get up and leave, and I stopped in the hallway and tried to throw up. They called the doctor and he gave me medicine for the pain, and it helped a little. I tried to get some sleep at 6 p.m. and when I woke up, I told my corners that I couldn’t take it anymore. Wallid [Ismail] called the doctor and he said we had to go to the hospital to do more exams and see how I was. That’s when we realised that the athletic commission could take me off the card if we went to the doctor, but we still decided to go.”
But despite his sickness, Figueiredo kept his warrior spirit intact, and promised the UFC he would be okay to fight.
”I spent the night awake,” Figueiredo said. “I only slept at 6 a.m. and felt sleepy all day. I woke up at 11 a.m. to train but almost couldn’t warm up, still in pain, and went back to bed. ‘Maizena’ woke me up at 5 p.m. to have have some breakfast, he said I had to ‘reactivate’ because I was too sleepy.
“I went back to my bedroom to prepare to go to the fight at 7. I was crestfallen, full of wind in the stomach, but I was in the game. No way I would let that fight fall through, brother. I gave them my word. I was sick, but I still went there and give them the Fight of the Night.”
Eye Injury
Figueiredo said that he also suffered an eye injury during the fight, which has been causing him some bother since. But otherwise, ‘Deus da Guerra’ said he is doing fine.
“I’m still visiting a doctor because my right eye got really hurt,” Figueiredo revealed. “My vision is still a bit blurry because of the jabs I took, but the biceps and feet are fine. I believe the eye infection got worse because of the pressure on the airplane when I travelled back from the United States.”
Who have you got in the rematch, Deiveson Figueiredo or Brandon Moreno?
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