A reporter asked White during the UFC Charlotte post-fight press conference if the fight between Deiveson Figueiredo and Manel Kape was still going ahead.
”You know what? That’s a ****** great question,” said the UFC president.
White then looked towards a colleague who seemed to gesture that the bout wasn’t going ahead, to the surprise of White, who thought it was still good to go.
The colleague speaking to White implied that Figueiredo informed the UFC that he was moving up in weight (to bantamweight).
”Who the hell knows, man? Who the hell knows? This is the nutty **** we deal with on a daily basis around here” said White.
Regardless of when we see Deiveson Figueiredo next remains to be seen, but one thing we can guarantee is that he will face a new opponent for the first time in five outings following four consecutive title flyweight title fights against Brandon Moreno, which spanned from December 12, 2020, until the present day.
Should Figueiredo move up in weight and not compete at UFC 290, it may result in a reshuffle of the card. Bo Nickal (4-0) is scheduled to fight in the main card opener against the TUF season 29 contestant Tresean Gore, a hard-hitting powerhouse in what will likely be a classic ‘striker vs. wrestler’ match-up.
Both men are unranked, which caused some to question the legitimacy of this bout being on the main card; however, Bo Nickal was a well-known face before he entered the UFC following his outstanding accomplishments in wrestling and has exceeded most peoples expectations in the way he has dispatched of his opponents so easily thus far.
Some fans were already scratching their head at the prospect of Figueiredo being the featured preliminary bout; however the UFC has done this kind of thing before. Putting an exciting, well-known fighter on the prelims draws fresh eyes to the event and increases the likelihood of last-minute pay-per-view purchases.
Assuming Figueiredo moves up in weight, it’s difficult to say who he would fight due to where the UFC judged him to be in relation to the rankings. Rob Font, Pedro Munhoz, and Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera could all be possibilities, but any future contest at bantamweight would all depend on timescales.
Or perhaps we could have a u-turn to the u-turn and see Deiveson Figueiredo fight Manel Kape at UFC 290 after all? Crazier things have certainly happened.
Discussion about this post