Deiveson Figueiredo is set to headline a UFC Fight Night in Macau, China, aiming for a rebound victory when he faces Song Yadong at UFC Macau.
The former UFC flyweight champion, now competing at bantamweight, returns to Galaxy Arena in Macau, where Petr Yan defeated him by decision in 2024 and snapped his divisional momentum. Figueiredo has gone 1-3 in his past four bantamweight bouts after winning his first three in the division.
Figueiredo is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Umar Nurmagomedov this past January in Las Vegas, a bout where he missed weight. Reflecting on that setback, he said, "I have to show that I’m still alive. There were some complications [for past fights] but I’m feeling really good for this fight and I want to show that I’m still alive in the title picture."
He attributed the weight miss to issues outside the cage. "I had some personal problems," Figueiredo said. "I was in a really bad place mentally. And leaving Brazil there were issues with the flight. It was a complication that really screwed me over. My weight went up and I ended up missing weight. My head was messed up, I missed weight, and then I had to fight a tough guy too. Umar, a guy who pins you down on the ground. Not being 100 percent made it a very complicated fight."
Preparing for Song, Figueiredo finished his training camp in Natal, working with Patricio Pitbull and Patricky Pitbull, and also trained with The Fighting Nerds in Sao Paulo under head coach Pablo Sucupira. Looking ahead to Macau, he said, "We’re not going to have the same difficulties we had the first time," and added, "We already know what to do and how to do it. Even with the weight cut too. Last fight I missed weight, but now we’re already at a good weight. I’m in a good place mentally after the last fight, when I missed weight. But now it’s about keeping my head up and moving forward."
As for how the fight with Song might play out, Figueiredo said, "We expect it could go to a decision, but I don’t like leaving things in the hands of the judges. Song is a guy who comes to fight, so I think it’s going to be a very action-packed fight, especially on the feet."
