UFC 263 goes down this weekend at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona. In the co-main event, flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo puts his title on the line in a rematch with Brandon Moreno.
Figueiredo and Moreno battled over five grueling rounds in their first fight at UFC 256, which ended in a majority draw, with one judge siding with the Brazilian. Referee Jason Herzog penalised ‘Deus Da Guerra’ with a point deduction due to a groin kick during the fight.
Although ‘Daico’ retained his belt, he wasn’t happy with his below-par performance, which he blamed on his health issues in the lead-up to the fight. Figueiredo is looking to move past the Moreno chapter of his career this weekend with a decisive victory.
Prediction And Analysis
Figueiredo has the edge in the striking department, as he’s more technical, powerful, and agile compared to his opponent, who’s much slower in comparison. However, as witnessed in their first fight, the Mexican has the ability to put up a great fight on the feet.
Although Figueiredo is the superior striker skill-wise, statistics favour Moreno. The champ lands a low volume of 2.43 significant strikes per minute on average, but it’s his high efficiency and accuracy that does the job for him.
Moreno lands 3 significant strikes per minute on average and has a better striking defence. However, Figueiredo has a lot more venom in his shots.
The challenger is primarily a grappler, with 10 of his 13 career finishes coming by way of submission, but Figueiredo is excellent all-around, with 8 submission wins to his name. Moreno’s best chance of winning is by taking the fight to the ground, where he’s at his best, but it will be a very tough task.
That said, Moreno is one of the most durable fighters on the UFC roster. He has never been finished, and it will take something special from Figueiredo to do so.
Figueiredo’s endurance is a major question mark at UFC 263, and it is very likely that the champion slows down as the fight progresses, so the longer the fights plays out, the better it will be for the challenger.
If Moreno can dodge the early onslaught, he can make the rematch as interesting as their first fight, if not more. However, Figueiredo still has more in his arsenal, and will get his hand raised on the night after another hard-fought battle.
Prediction: Deiveson Figueiredo by decision
Betting Odds
Deiveson Figueiredo (-250)
Brandon Moreno (+200)
Who do you think wins the UFC 263 co-main event between flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno?
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