PHOENIX – UFC flyweight champion [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] and [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] are not seeing eye to eye ahead of their title fight rematch.
They meet once again in the co-main event of Saturday’s UFC 263. And in the buildup, Figueiredo (20-1-1 MMA, 9-1-1 UFC) has claimed that Moreno (18-5-2 MMA, 6-2-2 UFC) is talking way too much, which hasn’t sat well with the Brazilian.
“First of all, he speaks a lot, and I’m the guy to shut his mouth on Saturday,” Figueiredo said at the UFC 263 press conference thorough a translator. “I’m going to knock out that guy in the first round. Pay attention, I’m going to knock that guy out in the first round.”
Moreno is confused by Figueiredo’s comments as he believes he hasn’t crossed any lines. The Mexican fighter thinks the champ is making up these claims to hype himself for the fight.
“He’s trying to make some narrative in his mind, maybe to keep focus and to be concentrated,” Moreno said. “If that works for him, it’s fine for me. I don’t care. I just want to be the next flyweight champion, and that’s the most important thing in my career – for my Mexican people, for me, my family, and for everyone.”
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Moreno feels ready for the rematch, and he’s not going to shy away from sharing his thoughts just because Figueiredo is not with it.
“I speak too much because I have my own voice, and I’m not a puppet of anybody. That’s why I talk too much,” Moreno said. “I was very honest with myself of what I thought of the fight. The guy tried to knock me out in the first fight, and then he tried to make excuses and that’s fine. There’s no problem. I’m ready.”
Figueiredo was unable to put away Moreno back at UFC 256 in December, but he promises he’s more ready entering UFC 263, and he’s sticking to his first-round knockout prediction.
“I’m a showman and I’m going to put on a show for you guys and knock him out,” Figueiredo said. “I’m going to put on a show and make you guys love me.”
UFC 263 takes place Saturday at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Ariz. The main card streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view followed by prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
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