The champ’s brother was coming in off a Performance of the Night-winning effort against Daniel Da Silva back in April. But early on, Figueiredo had to contend with some adversity after Albazi planted him on his back in the opening round. Figueiredo, who had been finding some success with kicks on the feet, was patient and eventually scrambled back up. At range, he found a home for his left hand, but Albazi soon had the Brazilian on his back again, care of a trip takedown.

That was the beginning of the end. Albazi had soon taken Figueiredo’s back, sinking hooks in. In short order, he slipped under the neck and rolled Figueiredo over. The rear-naked choke was in tight, and the Brazilian had no choice but to tap.

With the victory, “The Prince” now has three straight victories inside the octagon, with two stoppages, and two of those wins coming in the 125 pound division. After a year and a half on the sidelines, he’s now re-introduced himself to the UFC audience.

After having a bit of fun with Joe Rogan post-fight, faking the need for a translator, Albazi exclaimed that “The King is back! I know Mick and Dana, you’ve done a great job with this weight class.” Going on to call himself the “Lion of Iraq,” he added that “you want to see me in Abu Dhabi, put me on that show!”

The UFC returns to Abu Dhabi for UFC 280 in October, and Amir Albazi would almost certainly be a welcome addition to that card.

Official Result: Amir Albazi def. Francisco Figueiredo by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 4:34

The post UFC 278: Amir Albazi Subs Francisco Figueiredo In Statement Flyweight Victory appeared first on Cageside Press.

That began to change at UFC Vegas 53 on Saturday, with Francisco capturing a Performance of the Night bonus-winning kneebar submission against fellow Brazilian Alex Da Silva.

Now, he’s ready to make a quick turnaround — and avenge a prior loss.

“As quick as possible. A month or two, whatever, you name it,” he told media outlets including Cageside Press following the fight, speaking via translator backstage at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

As to who he’d like to fight, “I have a name,” said Figueiredo. “Malcolm Gordon, because I want to get that back. I want to make sure that I run it back, and there’s some revenge there. I wasn’t comfortable with that loss, and I want to give it a try.”

Figueiredo and Gordon first fought last year, with the Canadian winning a unanimous decision. The Brazilian believes things would go differently were they to fight again, he told Cageside Press. And he was injured early in the fight.

“There was actually an injury that happened, I had to get surgery on my shoulder. So the tip of the bone on my shoulder, I broke it in the start of the fight,” Figueiredo revealed. “And there were some mistakes during the fight that I feel I wouldn’t make now.”

On the subject of his latest win, Figueiredo was surprised, he told media outlets, that Silva opted to take him down early.

“Very surprised. He surprised me with that takedown to start the fight,” Figueiredo admitted. “I basically tried to work up his body, and just try to get an arm-lock there. And when he tried to put posture and actually just get settled, that’s when the leg came up and I was able to basically get it done. As soon as he tried to settle, he just left the guard open on that leg.”

The possibility of a kneebar was something that Figueiredo and his team had looked at during training camp. Some sharp film study paid off in the end.

“It’s something that we studied, because we saw that he does do that. He’s really strong with ground n’ pound, so he likes to basically rise up and start going for the ground n’ pound. We’d seen that we can change postures and kind of shift from the arm lock to the leg lock. So we figured that that could happen if he started to be on the offense. And he got a takedown and was on top. He leaves that open. We found it through film study.”

Watch the full UFC Vegas 53 post-fight media appearance from Francisco Figueiredo above. More coverage from the event can be found below.

The post UFC Vegas 53: Francisco Figueiredo Wants to Run It Back With Malcolm Gordon appeared first on Cageside Press.

The Fight Night card, much maligned ahead of the event, proved action-packed from start to finish. Four finishes in five preliminary card fights started the night strong, and the action thankfully carried over to the main card on ESPN.

For the most part, even the few fights that went the distance entertained. Andrei Arlovski vs. Jake Collier, the evening’s co-main event, was more entertaining than it had any right to be, with “The Pitbull” proving that at age 43, his chin remains intact. He ate a number of hard shots from Collier, but in the end walked out with a split decision win. That, by the way, was UFC fight number 38 for Arlovski, placing him second all-time behind Jim Miller.

Earlier on the card, Natan Levy and Mike Breeden fought in a fun lightweight scrap that had Fight of the Night potential. At least until the main event between Rob Font and Marlon Vera rolled around. That bantamweight showdown blew just about everyone’s socks off; if you weren’t entertained, you were probably dead.

Font started strong in the opening round, falling back on his boxing and pouring on considerable volume. Vera, however, survived, and from rounds two to four, dropped Font at the end of each round. While he couldn’t find the finish, Font would enter round five looking something like Frankenstein’s monster. More impressively, each one of those knockdowns by Vera had been from a different method.

Ecuador’s Vera would come away with the unanimous decision win, and doubled up on Fight of the Night. That’s after Font came in heavy at Friday’s weigh-in. As a result, Vera gets his opponent’s bonus on top of his own.

Performance of the Night bonuses at UFC Vegas 53 went to Joanderson Brito and Francisco Figueiredo. The Brazilian pair both showed up and showed out, with Figueiredo submitting Alex Da Silva with a kneebar early in the first round of their flyweight fight.

Featherweight Brito, meanwhile, made short work of 145 pound staple Andre Fili on the main card, securing the TKO finish in just 41 seconds.

Brito and Figueiredo will pocket an additional $50,000 for their efforts. Vera, meanwhile, gets a full $100,000.

The post UFC Vegas 53: Vera Doubles Up on Fight of the Night, Brazilian Duo Earn Performance Bonuses appeared first on Cageside Press.

Figueiredo and da Silva were both looking to bounce back from recent losses, and make their way up in the 125 pound division — currently ruled by Figueiredo’s brother Deiveson.

A fight that appeared to have barn-burner written all over it instead ended after mere moments on the ground.

While da Silva found his range early, within a minute he was on top of Figueiredo off a takedown attempt. Despite the apparent advantage in position, da Silva suddenly found himself on the wrong side of a kneebar submission. Following a couple of transitions that began with Figueiredo on his back, the flyweight known as “Sniper” had the submission locked in. Sensing his leg was in serious jeopardy, Daniel da Silva quickly tapped, and that was the fight!

Kneebar out of NOWHERE for Francisco Figueiredo 🤯 #UFCVegas53 pic.twitter.com/vJCB487kNJ

— UFC (@ufc) April 30, 2022

“I’ve been training jiu-jitsu a lot,” Figueiredo said following the bout, adding that it had just came out during the fight. When he was taken down, he was in his comfort zone. “I trained to get out of there,” Figueiredo stated.

The win moves Francisco Figueiredo to 2-1 in the UFC, and he’s looking for a quick turnaround. “I’ll stay in Las Vegas and fight next week,” he said to cap off his post fight interview.

Official Result: Francisco Figueiredo def. Daniel Lacerda da Silva by submission (kneebar), Round 1, 1:18

The post UFC Vegas 53: Francisco Figueiredo Stuns Daniel Lacerda da Silva With Lightning-Fast Kneebar appeared first on Cageside Press.

Hadley (8-0), an undefeated British flyweight, was to have faced Francisco Figueiredo at the UFC’s March 19 event. However, with Figueiredo pulling out of the fight, he’ll instead face another Brazilian fighter, Allan Nascimento (18-6).

MMA Junkie was first to report the news on Friday. Hadley later confirmed the opponent switch on social media.

Hadley caused a bit of a stir on the Contender Series when UFC President Dana White chastised him for his behaviour ahead of his fight. Hadley both missed weight for his bout with TUF alum Mitch Raposo, and apparently mistreated UFC staff — something that certainly didn’t sit well with White.

White opted to award Hadley a contract regardless, after he submitted Raposo in the second round.

Nascimento made his promotional debut last October, losing a split decision against Tagir Ulanbekov. A RIZIN FF veteran, Nascimento is 2-3 in his last five outings.

The UFC’s March 19, 2022 card does not have a location officially announced — but London, England has been heavily speculated. The following bouts have been reported for the card to date:

Jack Shore vs. Timur Valiev
Luana Carolina vs. Molly McCann
Muhammad Mokaev vs Cody Durden
Makwan Amirkhani vs. Mike Grundy
Tom Aspinall vs. Shamil Abdurakhimov
Jake Hadley vs. Allan Nascimento

The post UFC: Jake Hadley Gets New Opponent for March 19, Allan Nascimento Replaces Francisco Figueiredo appeared first on Cageside Press.

On Friday, Paradigm Sports management revealed that their client Hadley will be fighting Francisco Figueiredo on March 19 at a yet-to-be officially announced UFC event. Both fighters would later confirm the booking.

Hadley (8-0) received a contract on season five of Dana White’s Contender Series by defeating Mitch Raposo via second-round submission. UFC president White was very cautious when awarding Hadley the contract, because the English fighter missed weight for the fight. “White Kong” won the Cage Warriors flyweight championship in 2020 by defeating Luke Shanks via unanimous decision.

Figueiredo (12-4-1) went 1-1 in 2021. In January, the Brazilian fighter won his UFC debut against Jerome Rivera, winning the fight via unanimous decision. Six months later, he would lose a unanimous decision to Malcolm Gordon at UFC Fight Night: Makhachev vs. Moisés. The younger brother of Deiveson will look to get back into the win column.

The UFC’s March 19, 2022 event does not have an official location, venue, or broadcast plan announced. There are rumors the UFC will be going back to London, but nothing official has been announced.

The Fight Night card currently breaks down as follows:

• Jack Shore vs. Umar Nurmagomedov
• Molly McCann vs. Luana Carolina
• Jake Hadley vs. Francisco Figueiredo

The post Jack Hadley Makes His UFC Debut Against Francisco Figueiredo On March 19 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Canada’s Gordon, a former TKO flyweight champion, had dropped his first two fights inside the octagon, putting him in must-win territory at UFC Vegas 31. Arguably even more pressure rested on his shoulders Saturday.

Perhaps with that in mind, Gordon went straight for a takedown literally seconds after a quick glove touch. Gordon put Figueiredo against the fence, but Figueiredo escaped. Gordon took Figueiredo down, and quickly, Figueiredo reversed and got right on top of Gordon. Not much action followed, except for transitioning by Figueiredo. Figueiredo landed a couple of punches, but Gordon defended by grabbing his opponent. With just over a minute left in the round, Figueiredo threw a nasty elbow. One minute left, and Figueiredo went for a heel hook. Gordon defended and then escaped. Gordon got into full guard and ended the round on top, landing a few elbows.

Figueiredo appeared to have claimed the opening frame. Gordon started round two exactly the way he did in round one, by running at Figueiredo. Gordon attempted a takedown, but Figueiredo defended. Gordon shot for another takedown, but Figueiredo sprawled. Canada’s Gordon then put Figueiredo against the fence, but Figueiredo escaped. Figueiredo threw a front kick, and Gordon landed a punch which made Figueiredo back up. Two unsuccessful takedown attempts by Gordon kept both men standing. Figueiredo landed a straight left hand. Gordon landed a nice uppercut, and Figueiredo landed a knee to the body in response. Figueiredo landed a body kick with 30 seconds left, and Gordon landed to takedown to end the round.

Heading into the third, it felt like a 19-19 affair. Figueiredo threw a flying knee to start round three. The knee missed, and Gordon landed a takedown. Figueiredo tried to escape a few times, but Gordon kept him down. Figueiredo finally freed himself with a little over two minutes left and tried to lock up a standing rear-naked choke. Gordon went for another takedown and put Figueiredo against the fence. Figueiredo reversed Gordon on the fence and took Gordon down. Figueiredo tried to lock up a last-minute triangle armbar, but Gordon escaped.

By UD! 🗣

🇨🇦 @Malcolm_X_MMA emerges victorious after 3 rounds!

[ #UFCVegas31 continues on @ESPN & @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/OIrPcbJvrn

— UFC (@ufc) July 18, 2021

On the scorecards, the judges gave it to Gordon. That was the right call in a close fight, but a 30-27 score from one judge was a puzzler. Either way, Malcolm Gordon appears to have bought himself more time in the promotion with the win.

Official Result: Malcolm Gordon def. Francisco Figueiredo by unanimous decision (30–27, 29–28, 29–28) 

The post UFC Vegas 31 Results: Malcolm Gordon Saves Job, Defeats Francisco Figueiredo appeared first on Cageside Press.

That, however, was quickly remedied on Monday. First reported by Ag.Fight, replacing Flick will be recent UFC debutant JP Buys. Buys confirmed the booking on social media, thanking his manager and the promotion’s matchmakers for affording him the quick turnaround, short-notice fight.

Buys (9-3), who won his way into the UFC as part of Dana White’s Contender Series last year, made his octagon debut just last month. It did not go as planned. Competing on the same card as wife Cheyanne, also making her promotional debut, Buys lost via knockout against Bruno Silva. The loss snapped a five-fight win streak for Buys.

With Cheyanne Buys also losing that night, there’s little surprise at seeing either fighter chomping at the bit for a short turnaround. But when he does return on May 8, the South African known as “Young Savage” will go up against Francisco Figueiredo. Brother of UFC flyweight champ Deiveson Figueiredo, Francisco (12-3-1) won his own promotional debut earlier this year on Fight Island.

Thanks to the switch-up in opponents, the UFC’s May 8 card now breaks down as follows:

Cory Sandhagen vs. T.J. Dillashaw
Jun Yong Park vs. Tafon Nchukwi
Zarrukh Adashev vs. Ryan Benoit
Maurice Greene vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima[
Christian Aguilera vs. Carlston Harris
Damir Hadžović vs. Nikolas Motta
Diego Sanchez vs. Donald Cerrone
Ben Rothwell vs. Philipe Lins
Angela Hill vs. Amanda Ribas
Neil Magny vs. Geoff Neal
Michael Trizano vs. Ľudovít Klein
Francisco Figueiredo vs. JP Buys

The post With Jimmy Flick Retired, JP Buys Steps in Against Francisco Figueiredo appeared first on Cageside Press.

On Tuesday, Cageside Press confirmed with multiple sources close to the situation that Jimmy Flick and Francisco Figueiredo will face off at the UFC Fight Night event on May 8.

The Corner & The Casual podcast was first to report news of the bout.

Flick (16-5) is coming off one of the best submissions of 2020. He submitted Cody Durden with a flying triangle choke on the last UFC card of the year; not surprisingly, Flick was awarded a Performance of the Night bonus for his efforts. “The Brick” had a more active and positive 2020 than most. He won two flyweight titles, the Freestyle Cage Fighting belt in February, and then in 38 seconds, he captured the LFA flyweight title in July. Two months later, he won a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series by putting on a grappling clinic against Nate Smith. Quite a year for Mr. Flick.

Francisco Figueiredo (12-3-1) joined his brother, current flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo, in the promotion earlier this year. He fought Jerome Rivera in his octagon debut at UFC Fight Night: Chiesa vs. Magny on ‘Fight Island.’ Figueiredo won the bout via unanimous decision.

The May 8 UFC Fight Night has no known location or venue, but the lineup now looks like this:

• Holly Holm vs. Julianna Pena
• Donald Cerrone vs. Diego Sanchez
• Zarrukh Adashev vs. Ryan Benoit
• Marcos Rogerio de Lima vs. Maurice Greene
• Jimmy Flick vs. Francisco Figueiredo
• Christian Aguilera vs. Carlston Harris

The post UFC: Jimmy Flick vs. Francisco Figueiredo Set For May 8 appeared first on Cageside Press.

The champ’s brother has arrived. Francisco Figueiredo, older brother of UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo, made his octagon debut on Wednesday. The Brazilian, a flyweight himself, was paired up with Jerome Rivera early on the UFC Fight Island 8 card.

The family name would be the draw (the second time that had happened on Wednesday’s card, as Umar Nurmagomedov, cousin of lightweight champ Khabib, also made his debut). But Francisco would have to prove that he could hold his own under the bright lights of the UFC.

Figueiredo scored a solid takedown and Rivera responded by locking his legs in a body triangle, eventually working his way to his feet. Rivera fired some jabs, then closed in and was tripped, leading to a scramble. Rivera got to his feet and pushed Figueiredo to the cage hunting for a takedown, where the round ended.

Rivera started the fight by kicking his way into a clinch. Figueiredo spun him around and took the advantageous position in the clinch. Figueiredo threw a few elbows then Rivera broke free. Figueiredo had the advantage on the feet with his kicks, then slammed Rivera down in the clinch. He had side control briefly, but Rivera was able to get back to guard. Figueiredo slammed down some ground and pound, then had to back away due to several upkicks. Rivera pushed forward towards the end of the round, getting Figueiredo against the cage to end the round.

Out in the open after a few kicks, Figueiredo clinched up with Rivera and took him down in the middle of the cage. Rivera had a tight guard, limiting Figueiredo’s progress on top. Rivera squirmed to the fence, and used that to stand up with a bit over a minute left. Figueiredo closed the distance after Rivera was skirting around the cage, clinching his opponent against the fence to ride out the round.

Rivera started the final round with a couple of kicks, two to the leg and one up top. A clinch battle ensued and Rivera overpowered Figueiredo to push him to the cage. Figueiredo reversed position and took Rivera down, but Rivera was able to get up quickly. Rivera started to pick up the pace as time was winding down, eventually landing a head-and-arm throw and getting a takedown by the end of the round.

Francisco Figueiredo def. Jerome Rivera by Unanimous Decision (29-28 x3)

The post UFC Fight Island 8 Results: Francisco Figueiredo Gets By Jerome Rivera appeared first on Cageside Press.