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Deiveson Figueiredo wants to make his bantamweight debut against former UFC champion Dominick Cruz.
‘Deus Da Guerra’ last fought in January, losing against Brandon Moreno to end their four-fight series. The former UFC flyweight champion is now seeking a new challenge by moving up to 135 pounds. During an episode of the Trocacao Franca podcast, Figueiredo discussed his interest in fighting Cruz by saying:
“I’ve talked to my manager after the fight and we came to the conclusion that Dominick Cruz would be a great fight. It would be a great first fight at 135. He’s a former champion, I’m a former champion, so it would be a guy with a name and high level to welcome me at 135. That would be great.”
Figueiredo doesn’t want to waste time getting his feet wet in the bantamweight division. The 35-year-old hopes to quickly put the division on notice by taking out the former world champion.
Meanwhile, Cruz looks to get back on track after losing to Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera in August 2022. The number seven-ranked bantamweight is coming off a brutal knockout loss, but he believes there is still plenty of gas left in the tank. It’ll be intriguing to see if the UFC makes the intriguing matchup in 2023.
Deiveson Figueiredo plans to separate himself from the rest in the bantamweight division
Deiveson Figueiredo is joining the shark-infested bantamweight division. Although he has found tremendous success at flyweight, it’s not guaranteed that ‘Deus Da Guerra’ will become a legitimate contender at 135 pounds. With that said, Figueiredo plans to make an impact in his new division. He had this to say during the same podcast appearance:
“I’ll go up and represent, I won’t be just another one in the division. I’ll fight the best, no doubt about it. I respect everybody there, they are all excellent fighters, but I’m going there to do my 100 percent.”
Figueiredo continued by saying:
“There are great guys in this division,” he continued. “To come here and say I will [win and] then fight for the belt, that’s kind of hard. I think I have to come slowly, showing I have what it takes to fight for the belt.”
Deiveson Figueiredo left the flyweight division because the brutal weight cut potentially hindered his performance. Although 'Deus Da Guerra' is intrigued by the move to bantamweight, he did admit there's a chance his next fight is at flyweight. Only time will tell what's next for the former UFC flyweight champion.
