Deiveson Figueiredo was as humble as it gets in the aftermath of his UFC Fight Night 248 main event loss to Petr Yan.
Figueiredo (24-4-1 MMA, 13-4-1 UFC) saw his perfect run since moving up to bantamweight spoiled by fellow former champion Yan (18-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) on Saturday in the form of a unanimous decision loss at Galaxy Arena in Macau. It was an entertaining battle, but ultimately the Brazilian lost every round on all three judges’ scorecards, setting him back in his pursuit to add another divisional title to his resume alongside the flyweight strap.
Instead of making excuses about why his hand wasn’t raised, though, Figueiredo paid all credit forward to Yan, and promised to make a strong comeback from the defeat.
“God damn, what a fight,” Figueiredo said through an interpreter during his in-cage interview with Michael Bisping. “You know guys, tonight was Petr Yan’s night. But God doesn’t give you a burden heavier than you can carry. Tonight was his night and we’ll come back stronger. I always do this. I always come back stronger, but tonight was Petr Yan’s night.”
After holding the 125-pound title on two occasions, Figueiredo moved up to bantamweight in December and rattled off consecutive wins over Rob Font, Cody Garbrandt and Marlon Vera. He could not get past Yan, however, who put on a clinic over five rounds to put himself back on the map as a title contender.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 248.
