Former UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo and Aljamain Sterling express disagreement about Figueiredo’s chances in the bantamweight division, with Sterling predicting a tough fight due to Figueiredo’s size while Figueiredo asserts he is not too small and promises to bring his best to the fight.
Deiveson Figueiredo, the former UFC flyweight champion, will make a weight-class shift when he goes up against Rob Font in his 135-pound debut on Dec. 2. The stakes heighten as this fight progress post his four-fight rivalry with Brandon Moreno. However, not everyone is confident about Figueiredo’s chances. Aljamain Sterling, who recently conceded his bantamweight title to Sean O’Malley, anticipates a challenging night for Figueiredo. He stated, “I think Rob Font is going to shut the lights off Figueiredo. I think Figueiredo’s going to be too small. He’s speedy, but once Font uses his long push kicks, long jab, cuts off the cage and throws those big hooks that he throws. Boom, uppercut.”
Despite Sterling’s views, he acceded to Figueiredo, a former world champion, making the fight gripping. He observed, “Figueiredo could make it interesting. But I still think the size is going to play a factor. Maybe he is big enough for 135, but the last time I saw him, he was cutting down to 125, so he looked smaller to me. He is not muscular, but he cuts a lot of weight.” Figueiredo chose to counter Sterling on this week’s episode of the Trocação Franca podcast. He remarked, “No one is unbeatable in this division. Sterling saw on his last fight, ‘Suga’ touched his head and he went down. There’s caution in every fight. Rob Font can put me to sleep as much as I can put him to sleep. It’s two heavy trucks colliding. I have the heart of a lion, and rest assured that I’m going in there to give my best.”
Sterling and Figueiredo concurred on one aspect – the speed factor may play out in favor of the ex-flyweight against Font, who will enter the cage seeking a recovery from a loss to Cory Sandhagen. Yet despite the predictions, Figueiredo doesn’t anticipate size to be a detriment for him. “I’ll have more speed, and I’m going to be healthier. I don’t think I’m too small for the division,” claimed Figueiredo. He also registered his respect for Font as an opponent, forecasted an exciting stand-up battle, and vowed, “It’s going to be three rounds of non-stop action. The fight can end at any moment, because on one side you have someone strong, and I’m standing on the other side, a guy that likes danger. I’m not underestimating Rob Font, he’s tough and has taught the best, but so have I [at flyweight].”