UFC Austin Clash: Font Vs. (Bantamweight) Figgy!

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Bantamweight talents Rob Font and Deiveson Figueiredo will square off this weekend (Sat., Dec. 2, 2023) at UFC Austin inside Moody Center in Austin, Texas.

Font is still ranked within the Top 10, but the hard-nosed hitter is struggling as of late. His knockout earlier this year over Adrian Yanez proved he’s still got some gas in the tank (watch highlights), but getting shut down so badly by Cory Sandhagen’s wrestling wasn’t a great display of championship potential. Meanwhile, Figueiredo has spent the last three years fighting Brandon Moreno an absurd number of times. Having finally been edged out in that quadrilogy, the 35-year-old is seeking greener pastures (and new opponents) at 135 pounds.

Let’s take a closer look at the keys to victory for each man:

Rob Font

Record: 20-7
Key Wins: Cody Garbrandt (UFC Vegas 27), Marlon Moraes (UFC Vegas 17), Ricky Simon (UFC on ESPN 7), Adrian Yanez (UFC 287), Sergio Pettis (UFC on FOX 31), Thomas Almeida (UFC 220), Douglas Silva de Andrade (UFC 213)
Key Losses: Cory Sandhagen (UFC Nashville), Marlon Vera (UFC Vegas 53), Jose Aldo (UFC Vegas 44), Raphael Assuncao (UFC 226), John Lineker (UFC 198), Pedro Munhoz (UFC Fight Night 119)
Keys to Victory: A solid boxer with real grit and nasty knockout power, Font is one of the best jabbers in the division. When his range is established and his game is clicking, Font really is a sharp striker.

He’s stopped nine foes via knockout.

Font has to make this a boxing match and compete inside the pocket. Figueiredo can crack, obviously, but Font has the skill and power to stand up to him in that range. More importantly, he has the jab that can control the flow of the fight if the duo are trading combinations.

The risk here is that he gets outwrestled or has his lead leg kicked to pieces while trying to jab. Body jabs will help with the wrestling threat, but low kicks are still an issue. The next solution is is feints and false starts, which will help draw out the kicks preemptively and allow him to follow up with counter combinations.

Deiveson Figueiredo

Record: 21-3-1
Key Wins: Brandon Moreno (UFC 283, UFC 270), Joseph Benavidez (UFC Fight Island 2, UFC Fight Night 169), Alex Perez (UFC 255), Alexandre Pantoja (UFC 240), John Moraga (UFC Fight Night 135), Tim Elliott (UFC Fight Night 161)
Key Losses: Brandon Moreno (UFC 263), Jussier Formiga (UFC Fight Night 148)
Keys to Victory: Figueiredo is a really impressive athlete, capable of snatching up the finish in an instant. He’s a jiu-jitsu black belt with considerable punching power, as well as a nasty kicking game.

The dynamic is simple here: Font wants a boxing match, Figueiredo does not. Actually, that’s a somewhat similar dynamic to his fights with Moreno, whose sharper jab and pocket combinations gave Figueiredo trouble in each of their fights.

Fortunately, Figueiredo found the solution in the third, defeating Moreno with a mix of distance kicking and well-timed takedowns. He has to replicate that strategy here! If he can take the boxing range away from Font with his kicks, he’ll force Font to up the aggression and pressure more. Suddenly, the takedowns open up!

None of this is to say that Figueiredo cannot compete with Font in the pocket at all, but if he only trades occasionally and mostly looks to frustrate his foe, he can likely dictate the course of the fight.

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Bottom Line

Figueiredo’s Bantamweight future is on the line.

At this point, it’s tough to see a path to the title for Font. He’s a fun and skilled contender, but he’s lost to too many of the elite Bantamweights, and he’s 36 years of age. At this point, he’s fighting to remain in the Top 10 barring some sort of miraculous, late-career Robbie Lawler run toward gold.

The odds are against Figueiredo as well. It’s never easy to jump weight classes and maintain one’s elite status, but it’s especially difficult as a 35-year-old in the lighter weight classes. That said, a victory in his Bantamweight debut over Font instantly places him in the Top 10, and it keeps the dream of another title run alive.

At UFC Austin, Rob Font and Deiveson Figueiredo will duel. Which man earns the victory?

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