Flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo made sure things did not change at UFC 255, submitting Alex Perez in the first round.
Deiveson Figueiredo was defending his title for the first time at UFC 255 against Alex Perez. Figueiredo’s original opponent was former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt, who ended up pulling out of the fight. The Brazilian is a machine with an 8-1 UFC record and six of those wins coming by stoppage. He finished Joseph Benavidez twice in a row heading into the contest.
Perez was looking to become the first Contender Series alum to win a title. He’s had a very successful career in the Octagon, going 6-2 with four finishes. His most notable one came in his most recent fight, finishing longtime contender Jussier Formiga with leg kicks in the first round.
Perez whipped a head kick around to start the fight but came up short. Figueiredo answered with a strong body kick. Another body kick came through for Figueiredo but Perez fired in a combination that caught the champion clean. Perez nailed Figueiredo with a body kick then drove in for a takedown. He drove the champion to the cage, with Figueiredo using his hands to stay elevated during the takedown attempt. Perez attempted a trip, and the champion spun down and grabbed a leg. As Perez spun out of the hold, Figueiredo snapped on a guillotine. Perez attempted to force his way out and when he stood up on his knees, the submission was tight enough to force a tap.
Figueiredo explained that he started the fight in southpaw to avoid the lethal low kick of Perez, then went on to call out Brandon Moreno, who won earlier in the night with a stoppage over Brandon Royval, for his next title defense.
Deiveson Figueiredo def. Alex Perez by Submission (Guillotine) in Round 1 (1:57)
