Just minutes after he dispatched Alex Perez in the UFC 255 main event, the Brazilian “God of War” was already fielding questions about a potential showdown with Brandon Moreno in December.
UFC president Dana White revealed just after Figueiredo’s win that he wanted to keep the flyweight champion in Las Vegas for a quick turnaround against Moreno. While a date wasn’t mentioned, multiple sources have told MMA Fighting that the promotion hopes to book Figueiredo vs. Moreno at UFC 256 on Dec. 12.
According to Figueiredo, the tension with Moreno is already building after he heard the former Ultimate Fighter contender mention his name in past interviews. As a result, Figueiredo has a vested interest in retaining his title and making Moreno pay for every word he’s spoken.
“I think I’m going to destroy him,” Figueiredo said at the UFC 255 post-fight press conference. “If I touch him, I’m going to break him. Just touching him.
“Because Brandon Moreno talk a lot of bad things about me. I have a personal problem with Brandon Moreno. I think I’m going to destroy Brandon Moreno in December. But I want the boss to show the desire to see this fight.”
No UFC champion has ever fought in consecutive months so Figueiredo would definitely be making history by competing in November and then turning around to defend his title again in December.
That said, Figueiredo would also have to endure another weight cut down to 125 pounds, which has given him problems in the past.
It doesn’t appear he’s too concerned and Figueiredo knows as difficult as it would be to return to flyweight in a few weeks’ time, he knows Moreno will be going through the exact same thing.
“The pressure I’m going to have to get the weight, he’s going to have [too],” Figueiredo explained. “We’re in the same spot. It’s a war for both sides. If I I have pressure, he’s going to have pressure.”
Judging by those comments, Figueiredo just needs to have a conversation with the UFC about fighting again on Dec. 12 but it appears everything is moving in a positive direction to see a flyweight title bout added to the final pay-per-view in 2020.
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