Deiveson Figueiredo says he will affect "mentally fragile" Cody Garbrandt by “touching him” with shots at UFC 300
Deiveson Figueiredo recently affirmed his intent to capitalize on Cody Garbrandt's perceived vulnerable mindset by delivering impactful strikes during their bout at UFC 300.
The former UFC flyweight champion is gearing up to square off against Garbrandt in a bantamweight showdown on the early prelims of the momentous pay-per-view event set for April 13 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
During a recent appearance on MMA Fighting’s Trocação Franca podcast, the 36-year-old Brazilian asserted that 'No Love' doesn't possess the mental resilience to cope with challenges that arise within the octagon:
"We see he’s mentally fragile. He doesn’t have a good head. We see he hasn’t come back after having a few losses, right? Every athlete fears getting touched. Many fighters like the in-fight but crumble when a hand lands. You have to be a bada**, and you need a strong mind to come back again. I think I’ll affect his mind by touching him, and he’s going to respect me more."
He added:
"I really want the knockout in this fight. This fight could lead me to a title, so I want to impress. It’s going to be an incredible fight. Cody moves a lot and gives his all in the first round, and I have that same aggressive style. It’s going to be an intense fight."
Check out Deiveson Figueiredo's comments below:
'Deus da Guerra' and Garbrandt were slated to clash in a 125-pound bout in 2020 during Figueiredo's reign as UFC flyweight champion. However, the 32-year-old American suffered an injury during preparation for what would have marked his flyweight debut.
Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Cody Garbrandt: How do former champions stack up against each other?
Deiveson Figueiredo is coming off a unanimous decision win against Rob Font in his bantamweight debut at UFC Austin last December. The transition came after 'Deus da Guerra' lost his flyweight title to former champion Brandon Moreno in their quadrilogy bout via third-round TKO due to a doctor's stoppage in the co-main event of UFC 283 in January 2023.
Figueiredo boasts an MMA record of 22-3-1, with nine victories coming by way of KO or TKO and eight wins secured by submission.
Meanwhile, Cody Garbrandt enters UFC 300 after securing a first-round knockout win over Brian Kelleher at UFC 296 last December. Prior to this, 'No Love' earned a unanimous decision victory against Trevin Jones at UFC 285.
Despite these recent triumphs, the former bantamweight champion faced a tumultuous period in his career, enduring four knockouts over a span of four years between 2017 and 2021, resulting in a 1-5 record.
Garbrandt holds a 14-5 MMA record, with 11 victories achieved through KO or TKO.