MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom goes in-depth to break down the biggest fights in the UFC. Today, he takes a closer look at the UFC Fight Night 248 main event between [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] and [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag].

Petr Yan UFC Fight Night 248 preview

Staple info:

Record: 17-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC
Height: 5’7″ Age: 31 Weight: 135 lbs. Reach: 67″
Last fight: Decision win over Song Yadong (March 9, 2024)
Camp: Tiger Muay Thai (Thailand)
Stance/striking style: Switch-stance/muay Thai
Risk management: Fair

Supplemental info:
+ Former UFC bantamweight champion
+ ACB bantamweight title
+ Master of sports in boxing
+ 7 KO victories
+ 1 submission win
+ 3 first-round finishes
+ KO Power
+ Building pace and pressure
+ Excellent footwork
^ Shifts stances, takes angles
+ Accurate left hand
^ Jabs, hooks and crosses
+ Strong inside of the clinch
^ Defense, trips, strikes off the breaks
+ Solid wrestling ability
^ Scrambles well

Deiveson Figueiredo UFC Fight Night 248 preview

Staple info:

Record: 17-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC
Height: 5’5″ Age: 36 Weight: 135 lbs. Reach: 68″
Last fight: Decision win over Marlon Vera (Aug. 3, 2024)
Camp: Team Figueiredo (Brazil)
Stance/striking style: Switch-stance/muay Thai
Risk management: Fair

Supplemental info:
+ Former 2x UFC flyweight champion
+ Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt
+ Regional grappling accolades
+ 9 KO victories
+ 9 submission wins
+ 11 first-round finishes
+ KO power
+ Well-timed right hands/uppercuts
^ Coming forward or off the counter
+ Hard calf kicks
+ Slicing elbows from multiple ranges
+ Strong inside the clinch
+ Improved wrestling ability
^ Solid reactive shots
+ Transitions well from topside
^ Dangerous strikes and submissions

Petr Yan vs. Deiveson Figueiredo point of interest: The perfect styles fight

The main event in Macau features a fight that I’ve been begging for for roughly half a decade now.

Even with [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] still being a flyweight contender back in 2019, I couldn’t help but see the Brazilian as the perfect dance partner for the stylings of [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag].

A ferocious competitor, Yan implements an offense-heavy approach that is both analyst and fan-friendly given how aggressively he works his opposition toward the fence. Whether Yan is operating from orthodox or southpaw, the 31-year-old phenom often conducts traffic with his left hand, wielding a bevy of accurate weapons from that side.

From straight shots down the center that range from jabs to crosses to sneaky hooks and uppercuts off the lead side, Yan can pretty much do it all from boxing range. The Tiger Muay Thai product will also mix in other things like kicks, knees and elbows into his repertoire – though he seems to smartly save that shot selection for his assaults off of the breaks.

Yan does a deceptively good job on the defensive end, subtly rolling with oncoming shots while keeping his eyes on his opponent with returns in mind. That said, shifting aggression – no matter who is at the steering wheel – tends to be a ripe recipe in regard to opportunistic counters.

Enter Figueiredo.

Appearing to be a pressure-fighting wildman on the Brazilian regional scene, Figueiredo has seemingly sharpened his style and approach since touching down in the UFC octagon. Figueiredo still relies heavily upon his head and trunk movement but will now add a long-framing defense from both stances, as well as flick out more jabs and straight shots to help establish his range.

This approach both accentuates Figueiredo’s length, as well as entices risky entries from his opposition that open them up for the Brazilian’s powerful counters. Whether Figueiredo is unloading counter crosses or uppercuts, the former flyweight champ has traditionally demonstrated stellar timing and anticipation to go along with his John Lineker-like power and knockdown rate.

Figueiredo has also leaned more on his calf kicks since his series with Brandon Moreno, demonstrating the ability to land stance-altering shots at range. Although attacking Yan’s lower extremities will likely serve Figueiredo well, defensive susceptibility to calf kicks appears to be yet another potent two-way street in this matchup.

Petr Yan vs. Deiveson Figueiredo breakdown: Protect your neck

Apr 13, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Deiveson Figueiredo (red gloves) fights Cody Garbrandt (blue gloves) during UFC 300 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Considering that Figueiredo has arguably leaned heavier on his grappling skills since moving up to bantamweight, necks could be on notice in Macau.

Luckily for Yan, the Russian fighter is far from a slouch in closed quarters.

Akin to fighters like Merab Dvalishvili, Yan’s grappling game also incorporates a lot of sambo and judo influence regarding both his wrestling and submission sensibilities. Whether Yan’s hitting disruptive foot sweeps or attacking submissions off transitions, he seldom seems to be lost, offering up answers that involve subtle but smart wrist controls in the process.

Despite being bested by Dvalishvili and his teammate Aljamain Sterling, Yan has also shown tools to help shut down similarly styled grapplers in the past who shared the offensive threats of Figueiredo.

In his first fight against Magomed Magomedov, for example, Yan had to constantly shake a sambo champion off of his back due to his propensity to tripod to his base in scrambles.

In their rematch, however, Yan was able to make some key adjustments that involved a stronger emphasis on attaching whizzers as momentum stoppers – which is a smart adjustment for a fighter who has quick hip triggers and can shift backward when he needs to.

Since Yan’s battles with Magomedov, the former UFC champion still inherently tripods in scrambling scenarios but is smart about swimming his arms and re-wrestling from said positions.

Nevertheless, despite Yan’s knack for turning defense into offense, he will still be playing with fire anytime he allows for back exposure against a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt like Figueiredo. And when it comes to offensive grappling, Yan will also still need to mind giving his head on level-changing shots given Figueiredo’s proven guillotine threats.

Even though Figueiredo is arguably known more for his striking threats on the feet, the former flyweight – who earned multiple grappling accolades during his time spent under Marajo Brothers Team – translates his power just fine in the grappling department.

More of a positional-based player who carries deceptive transitional savvy, Figueiredo likes to apply himself both in the clinch and from topside, seemingly taking great pleasure in making his opposition feel his weight and strength.

We saw a beautiful example of this in Figueiredo’s first meeting with Joseph Benavidez, as the Brazilian defended takedowns nicely both in the open and from the clinch. Doing a great job of breaking grips and framing off hips, Figueiredo not-so-subtly used his head to re-steer Benavidez towards the fence, taking the outside position.

However, if Figueiredo unsuccessfully sells out on guillotines (like he did against Jared Brooks) or ends up on his back, then he’ll still likely need to demonstrate some healthy urgency to get back to a positive position considering the hellacious ground striking that Yan possesses.

Petr Yan vs. Deiveson Figueiredo odds

The oddsmakers and the public are heavily favoring the younger fighter, listing Yan -310 and Figueiredo +230 via FanDuel.

Petr Yan vs. Deiveson Figueiredo prediction

Despite wanting to point to the gambling space’s propensity to fade lighter-weight fighters north of 35 years old, I can’t say that I disagree with the spread listed above.

Figueiredo has arguably matured into a smarter and more effective counter fighter, but it feels like his staying power – both in the durability and stamina department – really took a hit from his brutal series with Brandon Moreno.

Figueiredo’s punching power looks to have followed him just fine to this weight class, while his counter takedowns help combat opposition who come in hot (which also provides some pacing insurance to help cover a suspect gas tank). And though I could easily see Figueiredo putting Yan and his supporters through some early scares in both of said phases, I believe that the gap between their builder vs. opportunist dynamic has only widened at this point of their careers.

Say what you will about Yan’s propensity to give away early rounds and recent losing streak – – the Russian only gets stronger with his reads and output as the fight goes on. Whereas Figueiredo, even in winning efforts, has looked like he’s walking a fine line as far as holding it together/getting his winning conditions go.

I’m just hoping that this fight – one I’ve been asking for since roughly early 2019 – delivers as much as I’ve dreamt of from a stylistic perspective. But at this point in Figueiredo’s career, it’s hard not to side with Yan to steadily take the steering wheel from an initiative and pacing standpoint.

Late stoppages are certainly on the table for “No Mercy,” but the official pick is Yan by unanimous decision.

Prediction: Yan by decision

Petr Yan vs. Deiveson Figueiredo start time, where to watch

As the main event, Magny and Prates are expected to make their walks to the octagon at approximately 8:30 a.m. ET. The fight streams live on ESPN+.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 248.