Deiveson Figueiredo is asking to be ‘more valued by the UFC’ after an impressive 2020 campaign that saw him claim the UFC Flyweight Championship and defend it in style.
Figueiredo’s year was so impressive that he was voted The Body Lock’s Fighter of the Year in 2020.
Speaking to MMA Fighting last week, the flyweight champion called for more than just his show money in 2021.
“I gave my all, I love fighting in the UFC,” Figueiredo said. “I went in the octagon to break myself into pieces and give them the fight of the night because that’s what fans want to see, fighters that don’t slow down, that go in for a bloody game. I’m that type of fighter, you know, so I want the UFC to look at me with different eyes, that they give me pay-per-view [points].
“It’s missing some pay-per-view in my purse. If they already add it to this [UFC 256] fight, that would be great, brother, but I would like to start making pay-per-view [money] for my next ones. I deserve this. I love working for the UFC and I want to be more valued, you know?”
In a video posted to The Body Lock’s YouTube channel, Patrick Auger breaks down the realities of Figueiredo’s request and shares interesting insight into how Figueiredo and previous champions of the flyweight division have been treated by the UFC.
Auger explains that the flyweight division has never been a strong pay-per-view draw. Demetrious Johnson never received PPV points at any time during his long reign as flyweight champion, so it should come as no surprise that Figueiredo is on a similar contract.
Is it right? Not necessarily. Figueiredo is coming off a fantastic year in 2020 that included a Fight of the Year runner-up with Brandon Moreno.
Auger expects Figueiredo to be able to renegotiate his contract now that there are more eyeballs on the flyweight division following his success in 2020 and a memorable fight with Moreno.
Auger is the host of the Fight Business Podcast on The Body Lock’s YouTube channel. For more stories regarding the business-side of MMA, make sure to check Auger’s Fight Business Podcast playlist and hit the subscribe for more content like this.