Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno fought a brutal five-round main event for the flyweight title at UFC 256. In the end, the fight was so close that it was ruled a majority draw, and Figueiredo held on to his belt.
Figueiredo opened the fight immediately with a spinning back kick, pushing Moreno against the cage before Moreno managed to reverse the position. Moreno got Figueiredo to the ground briefly before the latter fought his way up to his feet. The fighters stayed consistent in their strike exchanges, and Moreno tried to land a head kick, but ended up slipping and falling to the ground. As Figueiredo came on top, Moreno tripped him backward with an ankle grab from guard, giving him the chance to get back to his feet safely. Both fighters went all-out with head kicks, knocking each other back with punches until the round ended.
THE LEVEL OF THIS FIGHT
— UFC (@ufc) December 13, 2020
Figueiredo stuns Moreno but he returns IMMEDIATELY with the takedown. #UFC256 pic.twitter.com/BfvXIYDo4k
A spinning back kick to the body from Figueiredo threw Moreno into the cage, and Moreno came back with a few body strikes of his own. Figueiredo controlled the center of the octagon and battered Moreno, who seemed barely fazed as he countered with his own strikes. Moreno tripped Figueiredo to take him to the ground, and the fight was briefly paused due to an accidental eye poke from Figueiredo. The fighters were restarted with Figueiredo protecting himself in guard, but he slipped out of Moreno’s grip, both fighters exchanging fast and heavy punches as they got to their feet. Moreno seemed to stagger his opponent with a right hand, and after a few more strike exchanges, Moreno seemed to be bothered by his eye due to a hit that was later deemed legitimate. Still, he didn’t let that stop him from taking Figueiredo to the ground again, though they didn’t stay there long. The fighters pushed the pace until the last second of the round before the bell rang.
Figueiredo connected with a big right hand at the start of round three, but Moreno countered by catching a kick from his opponent an battering him for a few seconds before catching a few hits from Figueiredo himself. The two clinched up as Moreno pushed Figueiredo against the cage, but Figueiredo managed to create the space he needed to break away. Figueiredo again went for a spinning back kick, and Moreno barely missed as he went for a head kick. Both fighters continued to take big hits from each other until an accidental kick to the groin from Figueiredo put Moreno on the floor and caused a pause in the action. When the fight resumed, Figueiredo took Moreno down for the first time in the fight, though it wasn’t long until the fighters were back on their feet. As the third round wound down, Moreno connected with a big right hand, but neither fighter was able to finish things off.
Figueiredo opened round four with a flying knee, but Moreno was relentless with his punches and a head kick that staggered Figueiredo. Moreno then defended a takedown to switch things around and land a takedown of his own. Figueiredo landed a punch on his way back up to his feet, then an uppercut that pushed Moreno back. A series of punches from Moreno noticeably stunned Figueiredo, who countered with a few punches of his own. Moreno took Figueiredo to the ground again, this time working his way to top half-guard. Figueiredo got to his feet and copped some punishment on the way up, with the round ending shortly afterward.
WE ARE NOT WORTHY OF THIS FIGHT
— UFC (@ufc) December 13, 2020WHAT IS HAPPENING!? #UCF256 pic.twitter.com/WFYWDxLOmY
The fighters finally slowed down in round five, but still went after each other hard, with Moreno blocking a few kicks from Figueiredo. Moreno went after Figueiredo and slipped, falling to the ground for a moment, but recovered and got back to his feet without consequence. Moreno pushed Figueiredo to the cage, landing a couple of knees to the back of the leg, and Figueiredo seized a last-second opportunity to throw Moreno to the ground. Both fighters landed a few more strikes before the round ended, though neither could finish the other off before the bell.
WHAT A FIGHT! WE ARE NOT WORTHY
— UFC (@ufc) December 13, 2020#UFC256 pic.twitter.com/2HRN9eBhtz
The fight was ruled a draw, and Figueiredo held onto his flyweight title.
This is the second fight in about three weeks for both fighters, who both emerged victorious at UFC 255.
All heart on display tonight
— UFC (@ufc) December 13, 2020
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