Deiveson Figueiredo came away with an impressive win this past weekend at UFC on ESPN+ 27, where he knocked out Joseph Benavidez in their flyweight title fight.
There’s just one problem: He’s not the champion.
Figueiredo weighed in at 127.5 pounds for the 125-pound bout, making him ineligible to claim the vacant title. Still, though, when it comes to the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, a win counts the same if the fight goes on. And while the weigh-in miss was factored in, Figueiredo (17-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) did ultimately leapfrog Benavidez (28-6 MMA, 15-4 UFC) – and even makes his first appearance on our pound-for-pound list – after his third consecutive win.
Hear from rankings chair “Gorgeous” George of MMA Junkie Radio and MMA Junkie’s John Morgan as they discuss this and other UFC Norfolk results with rankings implications in the latest edition of the MMA rankings report.
