DeivesonFigueiredo, the champion going into his fourth fight against Brandon Moreno, is confident that he will have his opponent’s number.
And Moreno is aware of it.
Not only does the UFC 283 co-main event mark a flyweight championship tetralogy between the two best fighters in the division, but Moreno is the only opponent Figueiredo has had since their first meeting back in December 2020. Two of their fights went to decision (the other ended halfway through the third round), so Figueiredo and Moreno have plenty of data on one another and had plenty of time to get in each other’s heads.
“I am Brandon’s nightmare,” Figueiredo stated via a Portuguese translator during UFC 283 Media Day on Wednesday. “Unfortunately, this is the only fight that the UFC has to sell, Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno.”
Moreno has had one different opponent during his feud with Figueiredo, Kai Kara-France at UFC 270 this past July. “The Assassin Baby” scored a second win over Kara-France to earn an interim title and set up another shot at Figueiredo.
Figueiredo feels that their fights were two years apart, and there’s one important difference between when they fought to a draw at UFC 256..
” “I believe his greatest difference in me is his fear,” Figueiredo stated. “He can’t stand me and that’s what makes the biggest difference.”
Figueiredo will compete in Brazil on Saturday. This is his first UFC appearance since February 2018,. Figueiredo expects Rio de Janeiro to show its support, which is another advantage he believes will work in his favor.
” “For certain, Brandon is a child who is psychologically and mentally weak,” Figueiredo stated. “So fighting against the crowd behind him is not going to work .”
Just going by the numbers, Figueiredo and Moreno’s rivalry is as close as it gets, with the first fight ending in a majority draw, the second ending in a submission victory for Moreno, and the third ending with a unanimous decision nod for Figueiredo. Both bouts that went to the scorecards were hotly contested for all five rounds.
At the moment, it is unclear which new tricks either man can show to interrupt their opponent. But Figueiredo intends to keep his victory from last year.
“There’s always a strategy,” Figueiredo said. “I think he’s going to come into a game plan to stop my strategy, which is what I beat him with in the third fight, but that strategy from the third fight is a lot more refined now for myself as well.”
Source: https://www.mmafighting.com/2023/1/20/23561324/deiveson-figueiredo-thinks-brandon-moreno-fears-him-ahead-of-tetralogy-fight-im-brandons-nightmare?rand=96749
