EDMONTON – After a pivotal win against a tough opponent, Deiveson Figueiredo wants a shot at the flyweight title.
The Brazilian slugger is also concerned two-division champ Henry Cejudomight make that impossible – or at least that’s what his manager and translator says.
“If Cejudo starts to play around, we need to make an interim belt, because he cannot play around,” Wallid Ismail told reporters, including MMA Junkie, after Figueiredo’s gutsy win over Alexandre Pantoja on the ESPN-televised prelims of UFC 240. “We need to have a champion – I answer for him. But this is true.”
In his short time as a two-division champ, Cejudo’s motivations remain hard to pin down.
“I think Cejudo has started to be scared, because he sees new guys come up and put on a great show, and he starts to call out other people to lose the focus on Figueiredo.”
Figueiredo said he’s aligned his life around being the best flyweight in the division. A loss to Jussier Formiga brought new focus to his career just as 125-pound fighters got a second lease in the UFC. New coaches and team members are the pieces of a puzzle he sees coming together to win the belt.
All he needs is a shot, and that’s why he can’t wait. He recognizes he’s second in line to No. 1 contender Joseph Benavidez, who recently stopped Formiga to claim the top spot. He just wants the next opportunity.
“I want to fight Benavidez, but Benavidez is going to fight Cejudo,” Figueiredo said. “I want to fight the winner, because this division is a very important division. Every fighter in this division have a commitment to keep this important division in the UFC.”
For complete coverage of UFC 240, check out the UFC results.
