Daniel Cormier compares Brandon Moreno's performance against Deiveson Figueiredo to Conor McGregor's against Jose Aldo
Daniel Cormier recently drew parallels between Brandon Moreno's dominant performance against Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 263 and Conor McGregor's 13-second knockout of Jose Aldo at UFC 194.
Speaking about Moreno's jaw-dropping performance against Figueiredo on ESPN's DC & RC YouTube show, Cormier said:
"Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo will fight for the third time this weekend jn Anaheim. The trilogy. [They] had an all-time classic in the first fight, the second fight, Moreno may have had the greatest ever performance as a challenger in a title fight that I've ever seen. I think of Rafael dos Anjos against Benson Henderson as a challenger. Conor McGregor when he knocked out Jose Aldo, obviously. But Moreno's performance in Arizona was on par with that."
Watch the full episode of DC & RC below:
Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo locked horns for the first time at UFC 256 in 2020. The bout turned out to be a razor-thin contest with the judges scoring it a draw, allowing Figueiredo to retain his belt. Analysts and fans believed that the Brazilian champion wasnโt at his best on the night considering he had cut weight and fought a month prior.
Nevertheless, the fact that Moreno competed for 25 minutes with one of the best fighters in the world warranted a rematch, which was booked for UFC 263.
Much to the surprise of fans worldwide, Moreno absolutely destroyed Figueiredo in the rematch. The Mexican dominated every second of the bout before submitting the Brazilian in the third round to become the new UFC flyweight champion.
Conor McGregor's KO victory over Jose Aldo at UFC 194 remains one of the most iconic moments in UFC history.
McGregor, the then-interim champion, was looking to claim undisputed gold when he took on 'The King of Rio' in a title-unification bout. The Irishman sent the crowd in attendance at the MGM Garden Arena in Las Vegas into a frenzy after knocking out his Brazilian counterpart 13 seconds into the bout.
Brandon Moreno vows to defeat Deiveson Figueiredo again at UFC 270
Brandon Moreno is willing to do whatever it takes to retain the flyweight title in his upcoming championship fight against Deiveson Figueiredo. Moreno and Figueiredo are set to collide in a trilogy bout this weekend.
The reigning champion recently claimed he isn't scared of Figueiredo and is prepared to "kill him again" in order to retain the 125 lbs title. In the recently released UFC Countdown episode for UFC 270, 'The Assassin Baby' said:
"I want to defend the belt. I want to be the best. I'm not scared. If I need to kill him again, I will."
Watch the full UFC Countdown episode below:
Moreno and Figueiredo will run it back in the co-main event of UFC 270, the UFC's first pay-per-view of 2022. Their rivalry has dominated the title picture at 125 lbs for over a year and is set to finally come to a head at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California on January 22nd.