It’ll be a flyweight championship double-header at UFC 255, as both the men’s and women’s titles will be on the line in the main and co-main event of the PPV card.
Newly crowned flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo already has his next fight set, and it’s against former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt. That will come at UFC 255, where women’s flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko will also defend her title.
Official UFC broadcaster ESPN was first to report the news.
Figueiredo notably won the belt last month in a rematch against Joseph Benavidez following controversy in their first fight. That stemmed from Figueiredo missing weight, and a headbutt towards the end of the bout. The Brazilian would end all controversy in their rematch in July however, as he dominated Benavidez, earning the belt with a first-round submission.
His opponent is also coming off a highlight-reel performance. Former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt won the belt from Dominick Cruz at UFC 207 in 2016, however, he would soon fall on hard times losing his next three fights. He would rebound in June at UFC 250, dominating and finishing Raphael Assuncao in the second round.
Garbrandt has always talked about moving down to flyweight, and he will finally make the attempt at UFC 255 in an attempt to secure his second UFC title.
The co-main event is also a flyweight title fight, as Valentina Shevchenko looks to defend her belt against top contender Jennifer Maia. Shevchenko is one of the promotion’s most dominant champions and has defended the flyweight strap three times since winning the belt at UFC 231 with a victory over Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Shevchenko was originally set to face Joanne Calderwood earlier this year but was forced to pull out due to injury.
Her opponent Jennifer Maia is actually coming off a win over Joanne Calderwood, and only fought this past weekend. Calderwood put her title shot on the line in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 5, and she would come up short as Maia defeated Calderwood via first-round armbar. The former Invicta champion Maia has won three of her last four, against the likes of the aforementioned Calderwood, as well as Roxanne Modafferi.
