Deiveson Figueiredo Sizeable Betting Favorite in a Brandon Moreno Rematch

Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno gave us one hell of a treat last weekend at UFC 256 and according to UFC President Dana White, a rematch is absolutely, positively 100% happening in 2021.

Five rounds were not enough to decide a winner between the two and so it’s obvious we need at least another 25 minutes to find out who is better.

Bovada has opened its betting lines for the expected rematch and according to the online sportsbook, Figueiredo is a decent -275 odds-on favorite to beat Moreno. The challenger meanwhile, came back at +215 in what should be one of the most anticipated fights of 2021.

Majority Draw

Figueiredo and Moreno fought to an exciting back-and-forth affair that ended in only the 4th draw in UFC championship history. One judge scored the fight 48-46 in favor of the champion while the two other judges scored the fight 47-47, resulting in a majority draw. Figueiredo kept his belt but Moreno definitely took the Brazilian to his absolute limit and proved that he is far from being invincible.

The champion entered Saturday’s bout as a sizeable -300 betting favorite to retain his title against the number 1 flyweight challenger. Figueiredo had won his last five fights, stopping his opponents in his most recent four bouts. He dismantled Joseph Benavidez in 4:48 to win the belt at UFC Fight Island 2 in July and then needed just 1:57 to submit Alex Perez at last month’s UFC 255.

Moreno was a +250 underdog heading to Saturday night and wasn’t expected to give Figueiredo much trouble. The 27-year old Mexican was the last pick of TUF 24 and is in his second tour of duty with the UFC after the promotion cut him in 2018. But he proved to be the most worthy opponent Figueiredo has faced in his UFC run.

A Little Controversy

Adding to the action was a little controversy. One judge interestingly gave the 5th round to Moreno when it looked like the champion took the round. However, there was no doubt that the back and forth action made it difficult to score the bout. And if you take a look at the stats, you wouldn’t blame the judges for having a hard time picking a winner.

Figueiredo barely edged Moreno in total significant strikes landed at 137 against 132. The Brazilian however, had a 147 to 139 edge in total strikes landed. However, Moreno completed four of eight takedowns while Figueiredo landed just two of four. The challenger also had 3:19 minutes of control time with the champion only totaling 55 seconds.

Both fighters landed the same number of strikes in round 1 while Figueiredo outstruck Moreno in rounds 2 and 5. The Mexican edged out the champion in total strikes landed in Round 3 and 4 to make the fight very close. What proved to be costly for Figueiredo though was the one-point penalty handed out by referee Jason Herzog due to a low blow in the third round. Despite that, there was no doubt that Figueiredo vs Moreno was the best fight of 2020.

Best Fight of 2020

It was just barely 12 months ago when the UFC flyweight division was heading nowhere. The UFC traded the division’s GOAT Demetrious Johnson to ONE Championships while Henry Cejudo vacated the belt to focus on the bantamweight belt. Figueiredo and Benavidez fought for the vacant title last February but the championship remained vacant after Figueiredo missed weight and won the bout. But after the Brazilian was finally crowned at Fight Island, flyweight has become the talk of the town.

Figueiredo’s first title defense against Perez was both dominant and impressive. When UFC 256 lost three title fights, he agreed to headline the event against Moreno. By doing so, he became the first fighter in UFC history to headline two consecutive numbered events and his 21-day gap between two title defenses was unheard of. And then to deliver a Fight of the Year contender in the UFC’s last title fight of 2020? That was the icing on the cake.

The UFC closes out its 2020 campaign this weekend with a loaded card headlined by Stephen Thompson and Geoff Neal. January will be a busy month with McGregor vs Poirier being the top show. But when it comes to 2021, the fight that UFC fans will be waiting to see is Figueiredo vs Moreno 2. And if you missed the fight last weekend, make sure you tune in for the rematch.