Deiveson Figueiredo misses weight, ineligible for flyweight title

Brazilian perennial contender, Deiveson ‘Daico’ Figueiredo has tipped the scales for his flyweight title bout with two-time challenger, Joseph ‘Joey Two Time’ Benavidez – making him ineligible to claim champion status should he beat Benavidez in their UFC Fight Night Norfolk main event.

The #2 ranked contender initially hit the scales at the weigh-ins, weighing 127.5-pounds, and after what is believed to have been a taxing cut, refused to continue cutting weight. Figueiredo (17-1) failed to make the limit, subsequently making his ineligible to win the championship on Saturday night. Number-one contender, Benavidez (28-5) successfully made weight at his first attempt on Friday afternoon, making 124.5-pounds comfortably.

If the bout goes ahead – we will have a similar scenario as the main event of UFC 221 back in February of 2018 play-out. Yoel Romero was ineligible to claim interim middleweight champion status off the back of his devastating knockout of former gold-holder, Luke Rockhold, after he tipped the scales at 187.1-pounds. In his rematch with Robert Whittaker, the Cuban was once more unable to pick up the 185-pound crown with a victory, after he weighed in at 185.2-pounds, and was refused extra time to cut weight by the Illinois commission.

If Figueiredo manages to overcome Benavidez tomorrow night – the status of not just the championship, but the division as a whole may come into serious question. There’s been constant chatter over the previous calendar year surrounding the future of the division – since Demetrious Johnson’s move to ONE Championship, and Henry Cejudo’s decision to turn his attention to bantamweight waters.

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Ross Markey

Senior writer for FightBook MMA. An aspiring mixed martial arts reporter based in Ireland. Producer of news articles, interviews, opinion features, and exclusive features such as, ‘The Fallout’, ‘The Breakdown, and, ‘This Week In MMA’.