TLDR
- Deiveson Figueiredo wants to return to flyweight after nearly four years at bantamweight
- The former two-time champion says he can easily make 125 pounds and wants to fight Joshua Van
- Figueiredo expressed confidence he would knock out Van if given the opportunity
- He must first face heavily favored Payton Talbott at UFC 332 on Saturday
- Figueiredo completed his training camp in Thailand, working with Phuket Fight Club coaches
Sources: sports.yahoo.com | mmafighting.com | sherdog.com
Former UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo says he wants to return to 125 pounds to challenge current champion Joshua Van. The Brazilian fighter last competed at flyweight almost four years ago.
Figueiredo held the flyweight title twice during his time in the division before moving up to bantamweight. He told reporters this week that he has been asking the UFC to arrange a fight with Van.
“I’ve been asking the UFC and telling them I will make that weight very easy,” Figueiredo said Wednesday at media day. “I’ve been asking them to just make the fight, I want that opportunity, and let’s see if his boxing is as good as mine.”
The former champion expressed confidence that he could defeat Van by knockout. When asked about his willingness to drop back down to 125 pounds, Figueiredo responded, “Two hundred percent. It needs to happen. The UFC gives me an opportunity, I go out there and knock him out.”
Deiveson Figueiredo would "200%" drop back to flyweight to fight Joshua Van after #UFC332:
"Let's see if his boxing is as good as mine. … If the UFC gives me the opportunity, I would knock him out." pic.twitter.com/WdEuMZuN7w
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) September 30, 2026
Van’s Recent Success at Flyweight
Joshua Van has become one of MMA’s most popular champions with an 11-1 record in the UFC. He recently defended his flyweight title against Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 331 in a fight that received Fight of the Year consideration.
Van also defended his belt successfully against Tatsuro Taira and holds a win over longtime contender Brandon Royval. Excluding his first fight against Pantoja that ended in 26 seconds due to a freak arm injury, Van has won three straight Fight of the Night bonuses.
Figueiredo believes he has a better strategy than Pantoja used in his title fight. “Pantoja’s an amazing fighter, but I think the game plan was wrong because he was just trying to push the striking in this fight,” he said. “Why not use more grappling in this fight with the excellent jiu-jitsu he’s got?”
The former champion described himself as both a striker and grappler. “Everybody wants to exchange with him and he’s a striker. I’m a striker and a grappler, so believe me, if he wants to strike with me, the effect won’t be the same and he will not want to exchange with me,” Figueiredo said.
Immediate Focus on Payton Talbott
Before any potential flyweight return, Figueiredo must first face Payton Talbott this Saturday at UFC 332 in Salt Lake City. The fight appears on the main card of the event.
Figueiredo enters the bout on a two-fight losing streak and has lost four of his last five fights. Talbott is considered the heavy favorite going into the matchup.
The Brazilian prepared for the Talbott fight with a full training camp in Thailand. What started as a dream trip to spend a month training turned into his entire fight camp when the UFC offered him the bout.
“Actually, I came here to spend a month sharpening my muay thai and experiencing Thailand, which had been a longtime dream of mine,” Figueiredo told Sherdog. “When I got here, the UFC offered me this fight, so I decided to do my entire camp here.”
Figueiredo worked on his striking with Phuket Fight Club head coach Leo Elias. He also trained with wrestlers from Chechnya, Dagestan and Uzbekistan to improve his grappling.
“Elias is everything people say he is,” Figueiredo said. “We worked a lot on striking volume. I also got a lot of help from fighters from Chechnya, Dagestan and Uzbekistan when it came to grappling. I was able to learn a lot from them.”
Figueiredo said he is prepared for wherever the fight with Talbott takes place. “I always look to mix things up. What I can say is that I’m ready to neutralize Talbot’s game, wherever the fight takes place,” he said.
