ABU DHABI — You can’t blame Deiveson Figueiredo for being confident going into his UFC on ESPN+ 30 main event against Joseph Benavidez.
For one thing, Figueiredo (18-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) has already beaten Benavidez (28-6 MMA, 15-4 UFC) — he earned a TKO victory in the second round of their first fight on Feb. 29.
And for another, this time, the Brazilian standout has the opportunity to go home with gold — the vacant UFC flyweight championship. He didn’t get the strap after the first fight because he missed weight, but Friday, Figueiredo made his mark no problem.
Perhaps that’s why Figueiredo made a statement that bordered on brash when talking to reporters following the weigh-ins.
“I trained to submit him, but he’s a guy who can easily get knocked out, so I’m going to knock him out tomorrow,” he said.
Figueiredo had plenty to say about the fight and more during his meetup with reporters. Check out the full interview in the video above.
UFC on ESPN+ 30 takes place Saturday at Flash Forum on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. The event streams on ESPN+.
