The UFC is gearing up for what could be the biggest night in the history of the flyweight division as not one, but TWO championship titles will be on the line in the UFC 255 PPV event. Headlining the espn+ main card, which takes place this Saturday night inside APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, Alex Perez will step in to challenge Deiveson Figueiredo for the 125-pound belt. Before that five-round showcase gets underway, women’s flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko will attempt to dominate the uprising of surging division contender Jennifer Maia.
There will be no easy outs for Figueiredo in his quest to build a flyweight title reign. Even though former bantamweight king Cody Garbrandt pulled out with an injury, red-hot Alex Perez expects to be a formidable out having won 7 of 8 inside the Octagon and fresh off a pair of stoppage wins. While both are well-rounded, Perez’s preference of standing and trading could lead to his downfall as Figueiredo brings more firepower to the dance and seems ready to destroy anyone who steps in front of him.
Perez is a talented fighter with the ability to get a finish against almost anyone at 125 pounds. That said, Figueiredo is the better finisher and slightly more dangerous both on the feet and on the ground. Perez will likely look to push the pace, and that means he’ll be putting himself directly in danger of falling victim to Figueiredo’s power as Joseph Benavidez. Figueiredo doesn’t let people off the hook and Perez is likely to find that out on Saturday night.
Figueiredo is a good fighter. I wish I would’ve seen this fight, but with both of the championship fights ending in the Champions maintaining their belt, I guess it was not that surprising of a card. I’ve been a fan of Cody Garbrandt for a long time, so I would’ve liked to see him get another shot. Garbrandt though is so unpredictable, that it is hard to say if he would have had a better shot beating Figueiredo.