Deiveson Figueiredo: ‘I’m Very Hungry’

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight titleholder Deiveson Figueiredo knows little of privilege. Life made him earn every inch of ground he gained.

“I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth,” Figueiredo told Sherdog.com. “I’m from the jungle. My father was a farmer. He was born and raised on a farm. He raised us around the jungle, where we were always dealing with dangerous animals.”

Those harsh realities and the work ethic that developed out of them have played central roles in Figueiredo’s rise to mixed martial arts stardom. Now 36—he turns 37 in December—and almost certainly on the backside of a remarkable career, the Brazilian will do battle with Petr Yan in the UFC Fight Night 248 headliner this Saturday at Galaxy Arena in Macau, China. There, Figueiredo hopes to take the next step in his pursuit of becoming a champion in a second UFC weight class.

“I’m very hungry,” he said. “I’ll get into the Octagon, and I’ll prove I’m the better fighter. I want to go for the [bantamweight] belt. I feel a great sense of accomplishment from all I’ve done in both weight classes. I have nothing else to prove. Now I’m putting on shows for the fans in the weight class above [flyweight]. I’m here to fight, and I’m here to win.”

Yan poses a multi-dimensional threat in their UFC Macau pairing. The former bantamweight champion has compiled a 9-4 record across his 13 appearances in the UFC, his run highlighted by victories over John Dodson, Urijah Faber, Jose Aldo and Cory Sandhagen. However, Yan has lost three of his last four fights, along with much of the luster that marked the beginning of his tenure in the organization.

“We’ve studied him extensively,” Figueiredo said. “His game is full of holes. He doesn’t come from wrestling or jiu-jitsu. He likes to strike. I am a striker. We’re confident the fight will play out on the feet. I have many more weapons. I’ll be using them all against him.”

Figueiredo plans to call upon the aggression for which he has become known. It has resulted in 18 finishes—nine by knockout or technical knockout and nine by submission—among his 24 victories.

“I’m someone who undergoes a transformation when stepping into the Octagon,” he said. “I go in there looking to knock people out. I work hard, and I train with no limits.”

The approach has served Figueiredo well. He shows no signs of slowing down in his late 30s, as evidenced by the three-fight winning streak he has put together since he moved to the 135-pound weight class a year ago. His goals remain unchanged.

“The UFC changed my life, and it’s from the UFC that I wish to retire,” Figueiredo said. “My plans are to keep having high-quality training sessions, to become a UFC champion again and, God willing, retire well.”