Former UFC flyweight champion Dieveson Figueiredo earned his second victory at bantamweight by submitting Cody Garbrandt at UFC 300 and now he has his eye on going up against another ex-135lb champ in Dominick Cruz.
“People are throwing some names at me, but what I really want is to fulfill a dream of mine, which is to face Dominick Cruz,” Figueiredo told Canal Encarada. “Dominick has a big name and everybody knows the history he has in the UFC. He works for the UFC and is always on the spotlight, and I hope to one day get to fight him.”
A two-time champion at bantamweight, the 39-year-old Cruz hasn’t been seen competing in the Octagon since a head kick KO loss against Marlon Vera in the summer of 2022, but he’s still frequently found on the UFC’s broadcast team as a color commentator.
Despite Cruz’s recent inactivity and the fact he’s ranked No.11 in the division, the No.6 placed Figueiredo believes a win over the star could propel him to a title shot, and as such he’s hoping the match-up can be put together sooner rather than later.
“I’m staying ready,” Figueiredo said. “For me, it would be sensational to fight on the [Conor] McGregor card in June. That depends on [Cruz] signing the contract, and I’ll be ready. I want to fight him. I want to make this fight happen.”
