“Deus da Guerra” Delivers: Figueiredo Ends Skid, Eyes Bantamweight Title Shot

Deiveson Figueiredo was delighted to get his hand raised at UFC Rio.

The former two-time UFC flyweight champion Figueiredo (25-5-1 MMA, 14-5-1 UFC) returned to the win column with a split-decision victory over Montel Jackson in Saturday’s main event, snapping a two-fight skid.

The Brazilian veteran entered UFC Fight Night 261 with his back against the wall, but he managed to impose his will on his taller opponent over the course of three rounds. Despite the judges being split on the scorecards, “Deus da Guerra” was confident he had done enough to secure the win.

"It was kind of surprising how well he was able to defend my takedown attempts and everything," Figueiredo said on the ESPN+ post-fight show. "But we trained really hard. ... He actually landed and connected a punch at the end of the first round, but nothing apart from that. I was able to put on a good fight."

Figueiredo’s victory was a welcome boost for the hometown crowd. After four consecutive defeats for Brazilian fighters on the main card, his win brought the fans back to life, nearly blowing the roof off Farmasi Arena and giving the 37-year-old a moment he will never forget.

"It's amazing," Figueiredo said. "It's really, really amazing to be able to live this moment with a crowd here, to feel like a champion. It's contagious. It's amazing."

With Saturday’s win, Figueiredo improves to 4-2 since moving up to 135 pounds. He began his bantamweight run with three straight victories before losses to Petr Yan and Cory Sandhagen halted his momentum. Now back in the win column, he hopes to return to action sooner rather than later and believes he may be getting closer to a shot at bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili.

"(I'll fight) whenever UFC wants me to fight," Figueiredo said. "Maybe year-end. If the UFC wants it, maybe it can set me up nicely to dispute for the belt."