LAS VEGAS – Dana White likes to say he never makes matchups the night of the fights, but UFC 255 proved an exception to the rule.
Moments after UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo submitted Alex Perez in less than two minutes Saturday at UFC Apex in Las Vegas and retained his title, the UFC president announced the promotion is turning him around quickly vs. Brandon Moreno.
According to White, the UFC is targeting Figueiredo (20-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) vs. Mexican flyweight Moreno (18-5-1 MMA, 6-2-1 UFC), who defeated Brandon Royval by TKO in the UFC 255 featured prelim.
“We’re going to keep (Figueiredo) here,” White told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at the post-fight news conference. “He’s not going back to Brazil. We’re going to turn him right around (in) December. That’s what we’re working on.”
Shortly after White’s news conference concluded, UFC’s broadcast partner ESPN confirmed that both sides have verbally agreed to the 125-pound title fight at UFC 256, which takes place Dec. 12 at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.
Figueiredo addressed Moreno when he spoke to reporters shortly after his win, and he made a bold prediction to “destroy” his next opponent.
Flyweight champ @Daico_Deiveson vows to “destroy” @TheAssassinBaby when they clash next for the belt.
#UFC255 | Full interview: https://t.co/Ug0tQh065e pic.twitter.com/3UEz3Dd0Jm
— MMA Junkie (@MMAjunkie) November 22, 2020
UFC 255 was Figueiredo’s first title defense. With the win, he extended his winning streak to five. Over the span of his 10 UFC fights, Figueiredo has picked up seven finishes, including a title-clinching submission of Joseph Benavidez in a match for the vacant belt on July 19.
Moreno is 4-0-1 in his most recent five outings. The UFC portion of the streak includes wins over Royval, Jussier Formiga and Kai Kara-France – and a split draw with Askar Askarov.
The 21-day turnaround for the championship fight for Figueiredo and Moreno will set a title-fight record for both champion and challenger, according to ESPN’s report.
The latest UFC 256 lineup now includes:
- Champ Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno – for flyweight title
- Tony Ferguson vs. Charles Oliveira
- Dwight Grant vs. Li Jingliang
- Ronaldo Souza vs. Marvin Vettori
- Angela Hill vs. Tecia Torres
- Mackenzie Dern vs. Virna Jandiroba
- Omari Akhmedov vs. opponent TBA
- Serghei Spivac vs. Jared Vanderaa
- Dalcha Lungiambula vs. Karl Roberson
- Peter Barrett vs. Chase Hooper
- Billy Quarantillo vs. Gavin Tucker
- Andrea Lee vs. Gillian Robertson
- Rafael Fiziev vs. Renato Moicano