A failed weight cut cost Deiveson Figueiredo the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight title on February, as his second-round technical knockout of Joseph Benavidez rang hollow due to his lack of eligibility. Now, he gets his mulligan.
Figueiredo rematches Benavidez for the still-vacant 125-pound crown in the UFC Fight Night 172 main event on Saturday at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, where the winner will join Demetrious Johnson and Henry Cejudo as the third flyweight champion in the promotion’s history. A three-fight winning streak and eye-popping 18-1 overall record precedes Figueiredo’s arrival. The 32-year-old Brazilian has delivered 15 of his 18 career victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission. While Benavidez has never suffered back-to-back losses, he owns a troubling 0-3 mark in UFC title fights.
Ahead of the Figueiredo-Benavidez rematch, a look at some of the numbers that accompany their arrival:
32: Years of age for Figueiredo, who was born on Dec. 18, 1987 in Soure, Brazil.
6: Submission wins on the Figueiredo resume. He dispatched Tim Elliott, Antonio Henrique Santos de Miranda, Edivaldo Aires Maciel Junior and David Raimundo Arcangela Silva with guillotine chokes, dismissed Ricardo do Socorro Nascimento da Silva with an arm-triangle choke and subdued Aluisio Ferreira with an armbar.
15: Consecutive victories to start Figueiredo’s career. His undefeated run ended with a unanimous decision loss to Jussier Formiga at UFC Fight Night 148 in 2019. Benavidez has beaten Formiga twice.
1.09: Knockdowns per 15 minutes for Figueiredo, the third-highest rate for a flyweight in UFC history. Only Alex Perez (1.51) and John Lineker (1.24) rank ahead of the Brazilian at 125 pounds.
9: First-round finishes to Figueiredo’s credit, accounting for exactly half of his career win total (18).
35: Years of age for Benavidez, who was born in San Antonio on July 31, 1984.
.873: Cumulative winning percentage between the four men—Figueiredo (18-1), Sergio Pettis (19-5), Dominick Cruz (22-3) and Demetrious Johnson (30-3-1)—who have defeated Benavidez.
9: Benavidez victories by submission. His methods of choice: five guillotine chokes, two triangle chokes, one kimura and one rear-naked choke.
17: Appearances for Benavidez as a UFC flyweight, most all-time in the organization. He also holds divisional records for wins (13) and knockouts (five).
62: Seconds needed for Benavidez to submit Maurice Eazel with a rear-naked choke at Palace Fighting Championship 8 on May 8, 2008. More than a decade later, it remains the fastest finish of his 34-fight career.