Former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo has postponed a move up to bantamweight and will instead take on Manel Kape at UFC 290 in Las Vegas on July 8th.
Figueiredo had of course been locked in a four-fight battle for supremacy at 125lbs against Brandon Moreno for the past three years, but a TKO loss in their last fight back in January appeared to signal an end to that rivalry, with the Brazilian then signalling his desire to move up to bantamweight.
However, according to Figueiredo his team have ruled out that move for the time being.
“I’ve been talking to my coaches and my manager,” Figueiredo told Porto do Vale Tudo. “We decided that I’m going to have three more fights at flyweight. It’s not the time to leave flyweight yet. I confess that I do want to move up to bantamweight. However, my team did not allow it. I work with my team, I don’t work alone. They want me to stay, so we’re doing more fights.”
So now the 35-year-old Figueiredo will take on a fresh opponent at 125lbs in the shape of the 29-year-old Kape, who is currently riding a three-fight winning streak with victories over Ode Osbourne, Zhalgas Zhumagulov and David Dvorak.
Figueiredo vs. Kape joins a UFC 290 card that will also featuring the former champion’s rival Brandon Moreno, who will attempt to defend the flyweight title against Alexandre Pantoja, while another title fight sees featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski going up against interim titleholder Yair Rodriguez.
