Henry Cejudo shares who Deiveson Figueiredo is expecting to defend the flyweight belt against
Henry Cejudo shared his opinion about Deiveson Figueiredo unifying the flyweight belt in a bout against the winner of the interim title showdown between Brandon Moreno and Kai Kara-France.
‘Triple C’ and The Schmo discussed the current state of the flyweight division since the champion is absent due to recovering from a hand injury. ‘Dues De Guerra’ is expected to make his return in November, but in the meantime, an interim title holder will be crowned at UFC 277 in July as Moreno takes on Kai Kara-France.
When asked by The Schmo who Figueiredo is expecting to defend the belt against, Cejudo shared his opinion that if ‘Don’t Blink’ focuses on his defense and doesn't let Moreno take his back, the victory will be his. If not, ‘The Assasin Baby’ will meet Figueiredo for the fourth time, which is not something that either of them will be looking forward to.
The former Olympian said:
“Deiverson Figueiredo he does respect, he knows what is like to be with Brandon Moreno. He knows how tough he is. So if Kai Kara-France is able to beat Brandon Moreno, then that just kind of gives him a measuring stick on how good Kai Kara-France is. But I think he thinks he’s going to fight Brandon Moreno”
Watch Henry Cejudo share his opinion on Figueiredo’s expectations in the video below:
Deiveson Figueiredo calls the interim title a ‘plastic belt’
Deiveson Figueiredo wasn’t thrilled to learn that UFC has decided to establish an interim title. During his interview with MMA Fighting, ‘Dues De Guerra’ shared rumors that apparently the UFC didn’t received his medical documentation and that’s why the promotion decided to have Moreno fight Kara-France at UFC 277.
According to the Brazilian, the interim champion will be crowned just because the promotion doesn’t believe in his right hand injury. He now feels betrayed by the organization as he has helped the UFC save a main event in the past.
Figueiredo said:
“That was bullshit. I’ve saved a main event in the UFC, doing the quickest turnaround in the history of the UFC as a champion, and now I’m getting ripped off. The belt is mine. There’s no other belt, except for this plastic belt, this joke they’re doing between Brandon Moreno and Kai Kara-France.”
The referred turnaround took place back in 2020 as Deiveson Figueiredo fought twice within a 30-day period. First he submitted Alex Perez at UFC 255 on November 21, 2020. Next he fought Brandon Moreno at UFC 256 on December 12, 2020, which was the first bout of their trilogy.