For the second time in three weeks, a pay-per-view main event for the UFC flyweight title is official.
Flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo weighed in successfully Friday morning at 124.5 pounds while challenger Brandon Moreno was also 124.5 pounds. The bout will take place in the UFC 256 headliner Saturday night in Las Vegas.
Figueiredo has had weight troubles in the past, missing in February and losing out on a chance to win the flyweight title in a bout for the vacant belt against Joseph Benavidez. But for the second straight event, Figueiredo was the first fighter to the scale and on point.
Both Figueiredo and Moreno fought at UFC 255 on Nov. 21, just three weeks ago. This is the quickest turnaround for either a champion or challenger in UFC history. At UFC 255, Figueiredo finished Alex Perez via guillotine choke in 1 minute, 57 seconds, the fastest submission in UFC flyweight history.
Moreno beat Brandon Royval via first-round TKO at UFC 255. On Saturday, he will be the first Mexican-born fighter to challenge for a UFC title.
ESPN has Figueiredo ranked No. 7 in the world on its MMA pound-for-pound list. Figueiredo and Moreno are ranked Nos. 2 and 3, respectively, at flyweight, just behind all-time great and former UFC flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson.
Figueiredo (20-1) has won five straight fights. The Brazilian slugger stopped Benavidez via first-round TKO in July to win the vacant flyweight title. This will be his second title defense. Figueiredo, 32, is tied with Johnson with the most finishes in UFC flyweight history (7).
Moreno (18-5-1) is unbeaten in five straight fights. “The Assassin Baby” was cut by UFC in 2018 after dropping two bouts in a row. At the time, the promotion was considering dropping its flyweight division. Moreno, 26, won the LFA title outside the promotion and was then brought back to UFC in 2019. He is 3-0-1 since.
Both co-main event fighters also made weight. Tony Ferguson hit the scale at 155 pounds, and Charles Oliveira, who has had weight issues in the past, weighed 154.5.
Every other fighter on the card also made weight successfully.
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