Fight at UFC 290 off as Dana White announces Deiveson Figueiredo's move to bantamweight

Dana White has confirmed that Deiveson Figueiredo will no longer be fighting at UFC 290 in July.

The Brazilian was scheduled to take on Manel Kape at the pay-per-view event. However, the fight appeared to be in jeopardy after news emerged that Figueiredo was injured. The UFC president cleared up the speculation on Saturday at the press conference following UFC Charlotte. White stated that the former flyweight champion would be moving to bantamweight.

Check out @mma_orbit's post on Twitter below:

🚨| Dana White announces that Deiveson Figueiredo is going up to bantamweight and his fight with Manel Kape at #UFC290 is OFF.
#UFCCharlotte #UFC #MMA https://t.co/0crTslZdTv

There was an underlying feeling that 'Deus da Guerra' may move to 135 pounds following his loss to Brandon Moreno at UFC 283 in January. But the Brazilian's scheduled fight with Manel Kape proved otherwise, until recently.

Dana White said the following about Deiveson Figueiredo's move to bantamweight:

"So yes [the fight with Kape was going to happen], and then [Figueiredo] tells some guy, 'No [the fight isn't going to happen].' Then I hear again yesterday [that] yes [the fight will happen]. And now he just tells me that [Figueiredo] is moving up in weight. Who the hell knows man? Who the hell knows? This is the nutty sh*t we have to deal with on a daily basis."

Watch the video below from 12:25:

Deiveson Figueiredo has a notoriously difficult time making the 125-pound flyweight limit, and his move to bantamweight will no doubt provide some relief. However, while 'Deus da Guerra' may have an easier time making weight in upcoming fights, he will be moving to arguably the most talent-rich division in the UFC.

Dana White was hoping for more from Johnny Walker's performance at UFC Charlotte

Johnny Walker has now won three fights in a row following his unanimous decision win over UFC veteran Anthony Smith in the co-main event of UFC Charlotte.

Walker had the edge over Smith for most of the bout and had his opponent hurt on several occasions. However, the Brazilian stated in his post-fight interview that he wanted to fight three rounds against a well-rounded opponent such as 'Lionheart' instead of chasing a finish.

His performance appeared to leave UFC president Dana White wanting more, as he stated this in the post-event press conference:

"Walker didn't really wow anybody tonight but he won. He was put on the co-main event [spot] to kind of shine tonight. He got a [win] so I guess that's good."