Chito Vera: ‘Deiveson Figueiredo Hasn’t Fought Anyone Like Me’

Vera looks to rebound from a loss against Sean O’Malley by beating Deiveson Figueiredo this Saturday in Abu Dhabi

Welcome to The Weekly Takedown, Sports Illustrated’s in-depth look at MMA. Every week, this column offers insight and information on the most noteworthy stories in the fight world.

Chito Vera looks to re-enter win column on Saturday

Chito Vera knows the truth.

He is a very challenging matchup for Deiveson Figueiredo.

A former two-time flyweight champion, Figueiredo (23-3-1) has excelled in his first two bantamweight bouts. He handled both Rob Font and Cody Garbrandt with relative ease, a strong indication that he is for real at 135 pounds.

Vera, naturally, has a different perspective.

“Figueiredo hasn’t fought anyone like me,” said Vera. “To be honest, Rob took a lot of damage in our fight [in April of 2022]. I thought our fight should have been stopped. He hasn’t been the same since, and that’s not something that makes me happy. I felt like he took way too much damage.

“On the other side, Cody is just not doing so well lately. So Deiveson has looked good, and he probably feels better cutting less weight, but I know I’m going to get in there and get the job done.”

Vera against Figueiredo is a key fight on Saturday‘s UFC on ABC card in Abu Dhabi. It will likely center around whether Figueiredo can take Vera down–and, if he can, whether he can keep him grounded.

“I hope he tries to take me down,” said Vera. “We’ll see. I want to make an example out of him and send him back to 125.”

Vera (23-9-1) remains frustrated by his performance last March at UFC 299 against bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley.

O’Malley landed at will against Vera at UFC 299 / Zuffa LLC

After getting decimated for the first four rounds, Vera came alive in the fifth with some parting shots on the champ.

If given another opportunity, he will approach O’Malley differently.

“Obviously, I had a tough fight,” said Vera. “I needed to be a little less flat footed. I should have used more kicks and volume instead of just letting for the big shots.

“I was on defense, and you cannot do that against a guy with long range. You live and you learn.”

With the likes of Cory Sandhagen, Umar Nurmagomedov, and now Figueiredo all threatening to take his position, this Saturday’s fight is a must-win for Vera if he wants to stay involved in the title picture.

“A win on Saturday is very important for me,” said Vera. “I need to get things done.”

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Who is next for Belal Muhammad?

Belal Muhammad won the welterweight championship on Saturday at UFC 304, putting on a clinic against Leon Edwards. Prior to that bout, the last time Edwards tasted defeat was December of 2015, but Muhammad ended that streak in dominant fashion.

Belal Muhammad is the new king of the welterweight division / Zuffa LLC

UFC CEO Dana White has already intimated that Leon Edwards will not receive an immediate, so that begs the question–who will get the first shot at Muhammad?

To me, the only choice is Kamaru Usman.

No, it doesn’t make sense with the rankings. But those are solely for the UFC to use whenever it is convenient. Even though Usman has not won a fight since 2021, and already lost a title rematch against Edwards, he is the most compelling opponent for Muhammad,

Shavkat Rakhmonov is, at the very least, one win away from a title shot. Ian Machado Garry isn’t quite there yet. Colby Covington seemingly no longer fights. Muhammad needs a big opponent to establish himself as champ, and Usman fits that description.

If Muhammad can run through Usman like he did to Edwards, it will go a long way in cementing his place as champion.