By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Brandon Moreno capped off one of the biggest rivalries in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) after scoring a doctor’s stoppage victory over Deiveson Figueiredo in their fourth and final match last January 22, 2023, held at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The win ended a four-fight head-to-head matchup between the top two flyweights of the UFC with Moreno getting the last laugh after the third round.
Moreno landed a big left hook that hurt Figueiredo but paused for a while and complained to the match referee that he was poked in the eye.
As Figueiredo looked at the referee who signaled a “play on” after the excessive complaining, Moreno jumped back into action and poured in the attack.
The sequence inflicted huge damage on Figueiredo and caused his eye to completely close due to the punches he absorbed in that fiery third round.
Before the fourth round kicked off, the official match doctor had to check Figueiredo’s health status and declared a stoppage which rewarded the victory to Moreno.
Despite fighting in unfamiliar territory in front of Figueiredo’s fans, Moreno pulled off one of his best championship fight performances and reflected on his loss during their last encounter.
Moreno learned tons of lessons and was more conscious in the stand-up fight while doing more damage in the ground game.
The Mexican champion opened the fight with several takedown attempts but had to endure the risks after Figueiredo countered with a rear-naked choke in the first round and a leg lock in the second round.
Fortunately, Moreno was able to get out of danger and chose to pick his spots in the whole third round, using his efficient striking to fend off Figueiredo’s hounding style of pressure.
The huge victory helped improve Moreno’s professional record to 21 wins, six losses, and 16 knockouts while Figueiredo fell to 23 wins and three defeats.
