Figueiredo’s Brother Makes UFC Debut On Jan. 20

I try not to get too excited over these sibling debuts after getting burned by my Albert Alvarez prediction, but I may have to make an exception for Francisco “Sniper” Figueiredo, the younger brother of UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo.

Francisco is expected to make his Octagon debut against Jerome Rivera at the upcoming “Fight Night” card on Jan. 20, according to Combate, part of the planned International Fight Week in Abu Dhabi that also includes the “Holloway vs. Kattar” event on Jan. 16 and “McGregor vs. Poirier 2” pay-per-view (PPV) on Jan. 23.

Figueiredo (11-3-1, 1 NC), who turned 31 back in October, has not competed since battling Eduardo de Souza Silva to a draw at Jungle Fight 95 back in late 2019. As for Rivera (10-3), he was called up after cutting his teeth on Dana White’s “Contender Series” but came up short against Tyson Nam in his UFC debut last September.

Additional bouts for the Jan. 20 card are expected in the coming days.