A surprise rematch is set for December’s UFC 269.
First announced by ESPN on Wednesday, the trilogy fight between flyweight champion Brandon Moreno (19-5-2) and ex-champ Deiveson Figueiredo (20-2-1) has been booked for the PPV card. Per ESPN’s initial report, the promotion had looked into booking Moreno opposite Alexandre Pantoja, but Pantoja won’t be available until next year.
Moreno, it seems, wants to stay busy. And if the fight goes down as planned, it will be the third time the Mexican champion and Brazil’s “God of War” have faced each other inside the octagon in 12 months.
The pair first met at UFC 256 on December 12, 2020, a fight that earned serious consideration as the Fight of the Year. The pair went the distance; the bout ended in a draw, with Figueiredo retaining the title as a result.
Their rematch came at UFC 263 this past June, where Moreno completed his inspiring comeback story. After being cut by the promotion in 2018 with the 125lb division on life support, Moreno picked up a win under the LFA banner, and returned to the octagon in 2019, putting together a 3-0-1 run to his first shot against Figueiredo. In the rematch, he submitted Figueiredo in the third round.
As for Brazil’s Figueiredo, he had won five straight prior to the draw with, then loss to Brandon Moreno. It’s worth noting that in their first meeting, Figueiredo had a point deducted in the third round due to a low blow.
UFC 269 is set to take place on December 11, 2021, almost a year to the day of the pair’s first meeting. No location or venue has been officially announced. The following bouts have been reported for the card thus far:
Amanda Nunes (c) vs. Julianna Peña – for the UFC women’s featherweight championship
Brandon Moreno (c) vs. Deiveson Figueiredo – for the UFC flyweight championship
Cody Garbrandt vs. Kai Kara-France
Gillian Robertson vs. Priscila Cachoeira
Montana De La Rosa vs. Maycee Barber
Randy Costa vs. Tony Kelley
Andre Muniz vs. Dricus Du Plessis
