Midnight Mania! Figueiredo To Bantamweight?

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Deiveson Figueiredo is at a major crossroads. The former Flyweight kingpin captured and twice defended the Flyweight crown in 2020, but he was just handed a pretty substantial ass-kicking in his rematch with Brandon Moreno (HIGHLIGHTS!). Without taking anything away from “The Assassin Baby’s” clear improvement and excellent performance, it was also fairly obvious that Figueiredo was not at his peak.

Given Figueiredo’s past struggles with cutting to 125-pounds, it was not exactly a surprise when the Brazilian attributed his poor performance to sauna struggles. Speaking with MMAFighting, Figueiredo explained a bit more the extent of his weight cut troubles for this bout.

“I always have a problem making weight, brother, and it happened the same thing this time,” said Figueiredo. “I almost didn’t make weight, it was quite complicated, it really was,” he said. “Maybe that was it, it made me slow, but I felt I was doing well in the fight. I just couldn’t find myself, and when I was about to [find myself] he took my back and submitted me, something I didn’t expect.”

At one point, Figueiredo didn’t believe he would make the weight at all, but he was spurred on by his coaches and team. After such misery prior to fight night, Figueiredo is open to discussing a move to Bantamweight, but that’s somewhat depended on whether or not the Brazilian receives a trilogy match offer vs. Moreno.

“I think about moving up [to bantamweight] but, in order to make that decision, I have to go back home and sit down with my team and talk about it and make the best decision. I have to go back home and talk to my team. [But] let’s see if this trilogy happens, right, man? I asked for the rematch with him.

“I’ll talk to guy team and see what I can do to improve my diet, maybe even bring in my nutritionist with me [to the fights]. I have to go back home to really know what I want to do, man. But, right now, I asked for the trilogy. I clearly won the first one, but they took a point away and made it a draw. That’s what happens when you leave it in the hands of the judges. Their decisions isn’t always pleasant.”

At 33 years of age, the weight cut is unlikely to get much easier for “Daico,” who is surely one of the most muscular Flyweights on the roster. At the same time, it would indeed by hard to walk away from another shot at both gold and vengeance.

Insomnia

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Now, I wasn’t around in the 1930s, but it really seems like old boxing refs just let people die in the ring all the time.

Guillotine choke or mafia-style neck snap execution?

This might be the coolest finishing sequence I’ve ever seen in an amateur MMA fight.

Random Land

Unreal body control!

Midnight Music: G-Funk forever!

Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.