A gigantic bantamweight bout took place on the UFC Abu Dhabi main card on Saturday. Fourth-ranked Marlon “Chito” Vera took on former flyweight champion and sixth-ranked bantamweight Deiveson Figueiredo.
Vera entered the bout coming off a loss to champion Sean O’Malley in his last fight in March. Figueiredo had put together back-to-back wins since moving up to the weight class. A win could put either fighter in title talks.
Figueiredo landed first with a leg kick. They exchanged leg kicks. Figueiredo landed to the body and changed levels and put Vera on his back. Vera tied up the arms of Figueiredo. Figueiredo posture up and delivered a right hand. Figueredo landed to the body and stood. Vera connected with an up kick and scrambled to his feet. Figueiredo landed a leg kick and circled away. Vera rushed in with a knee and Figueiredo took him down. He landed an axe kick to the body at the bell. MMAWeekly scored the round 10-9 for Figueiredo.
Figueiredo opened the second round with a leg kick. Vera answered with a left hand to the body. Figueiredo continued to land leg kicks. Vera went high with a kick but Figueiredo saw it coming. Figueiredo landed a right hand. Vera responded with a front kick to the body. Midway through the round, Vera landdd a leg kick and a right hand to the body. Figueiredo answered with a body shot. They exchanged leg kicks and Vera checked that one. Vera connected with a right hand and closed the distance. He landed a hard body shot in the closing seconds. MMAWeekly scored the round 10-9 for Vera.
Figueiredo quickly looked for a takedown to start the final round. Vera defended the attempt and they separated. They exchanged leg kicks and Figueiredo landed a right hand to the body. Figueiredo landed a right hand and Vera answered to the body. Figueiredo connected with a right hand that sat Vera down. Vera quickly got to his feet. Figueiredo went to the body. Vera landed a left hand. Figueiredo stayed busy. Each time Vera got too close, Figueiredo would clinch or look for a takedown. They picked up the pace in the final seconds. MMAWeekly scored the round 10-9 for Figueiredo.
The judges agreed and scored the fight for Figueiredo via unanimous decision. The scorecards read 29-28, 29-28, and 30-27.
