UFC president Dana White revealed on Saturday night that he regretted allowing current flyweight king Deiveson Figueiredo inside the Octagon after Brandon Moreno captured interim 125-pound gold.
“The Assassin Baby” placed himself back into the win column by taking out Kai Kara-France during UFC 277 on Saturday night in Dallas, Texas. As Figueiredo is sidelined due to injury, the two went to war for the interim strap and Moreno once again hoisted gold, earning the win via third-round TKO during the night’s co-main event.
Moreno, who held the undisputed championship last year, and Figueiredo will now meet for the fourth time. And to hype up the future contest, the UFC decided to bring the Brazilian into the Octagon after The Assassin Baby was awarded the belt.
UFC color commentator Joe Rogan interviewed both fighters and although they kept it respectful, White shared his thoughts on the move.
“It was kind of an in-the-moment thing,” White said via MMA Junkie. “Then, when he got up there, I was like, ‘Well, that was f****** rude.’ This kid was having his moment and you’ve got Figueiredo standing in his face. It happened. It wasn’t horrible. We meant no disrespect to Moreno, but it came off pretty disrespectful.”
Moreno & Figueiredo Are 1-1-1 Against Each Other
Moreno and Figueiredo are interested in fighting at the end of the year, but Figueiredo also told Rogan that he hoped to unify the title in Brazil. The UFC has not announced plans to bring the cage to Brazil in 2022.
It’s virtually unheard of for fighters to compete against each other four times in the UFC, let alone for a championship. But, Figueiredo and Moreno are as competitive of rivals as it gets. They stand at 1-1-1 and their fourth fight will be billed as the battle to settle the score.
“(We could book it) 10 times,” White said post-fight. “It’s one of those unique, freaky deals where who doesn’t want to see that fight again? I’m the worst with that s***. I hate that stuff. If you’ve got a guy who is up 2-1 or whatever, you don’t ever need to see that fight again – ever. But this is just one of those weird ones where you can.”
Moreno Lost the Flyweight Belt to Figueiredo in Their Trilogy Match in January
Figueiredo and Moreno met for the first time in December 2020 at UFC 256, three weeks after the “God of War” earned his first 125-pound title defense. The two fought for five rounds and the contest was ruled a draw after Figueiredo lost a point due to landing a groin strike.
They rematched in June 2021 at UFC 263 and Moreno took out Figueiredo with a third-round rear-naked choke. The promotion decided to the run the fight back again, and at UFC 270 in January, Figueiredo reclaimed his throne, besting the Mexican-born fighter by unanimous decision.
The God of War damaged both his hands in the trilogy affair and has been shelved since. Moreno’s win over Kara-France cemented himself as the bonafide next challenger to take on Figueiredo.
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UFC Boss Dana White Has Strong Take on ‘F****** Rude’ Octagon Moment