By David Awopetu
In one of the best fights of the year, Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno fought to a majority draw (47-46, 47-47, 47-47) in a UFC flyweight title fight Saturday night in the main event of UFC 256 in Las Vegas.
Figueiredo, the defending flyweight champion, retained the title because of the draw. It was only the fourth draw in UFC championship history.
The bout was filled with wild, hard exchanges. Both men tagged each other with hard combinations and head kicks. When it seemed like one had momentum, the other would come roaring back with hard blows.
After two all-action rounds, a thumping kick to the groin by Figueiredo left Moreno down on the canvas for two minutes, with referee Jason Herzog penalising the champion with a point-deduction.
That sanction ultimately prevented Figueiredo from claiming the outright victory on the scorecards, with one judge scoring the fight 48-46 to Figueiredo, while the other two judges tendering 47-47 scores to confirm the result as a majority draw.
Figueiredo’s title defence capped off a remarkable year for the former bricklayer and motorcycle taxi rider, who captured the UFC’s 125lb title with a first-round submission of Joseph Benavidez in July, then made the first defence of his title with another first-round submission, against Perez, last month.
“We need a rematch,” Moreno, the first Mexican-born fighter to compete for a UFC title, said in his postfight interview. “We need that rematch. I think so. For myself, for Figueiredo, for the fans, for everybody. For the sport, of course.”
UFC president, Dana White called Figueiredo-Moreno the best fight in UFC flyweight history and said he “absolutely, positively” wants a rematch to happen.
“That’s another fun fight for all of us to look forward to in 2021,” he said.
