Figueiredo Says No Title Shot For ‘No Love’

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After Deiveson Figueiredo choked out Joseph Benavidez at UFC Fight Island 2 on July 18 (see it again here), Cody Garbrandt reached out to UFC president Dana White to be the first man to try and dethrone “Daico” from his newly-acquired throne.

Not only would “No Love” — the former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Bantamweight champion — get the chance to become a champion in another division, he would get some revenge for his longtime training partner.

And while UFC president, Dana White, is considering the bout, Figueiredo isn’t. Speaking to MMA Fighting, the Brazilian bomber says he isn’t exactly opposed to facing Garbrandt, but will only do it until after “No Love” proves he can make weight and win a fight at 125 pounds, first.

“We want him to prove he can make 125 pounds and fight someone in my weight class,” Figueiredo said. “After that, if he wins, he can come fight me. But we don’t agree with him coming down and skipping the line and going straight for the belt against me.

“He needs to prove he can make 125 and fight someone. It would be unfair if the UFC puts him straight for the belt. I think the UFC has to respect the others that worked hard for a title shot.”

If the promotion doesn’t award the fight to Garbrandt, it will likely go to the rightful No. 1 contender, Brandon Moreno, who is 3-0-1 in his last four outings and hasn’t tasted defeat since the middle of 2018.

Garbrandt, on the other hand, recently got back in the win column with a dazzling knockout over Raphael Assuncao (watch it) after suffering three straight knockout losses. Which begs the question: Given that Cody is 1-3 over his last four fights, why is White even considering the bout, especially since “No Love” has never competed at 125 pounds?