Preview: UFC on ESPN 52 ‘Dariush vs. Tsarukyan’

Bantamweights

#8 BW | Rob Font (20-7, 10-6 UFC) vs. #2 FLW | Deiveson Figueiredo (21-3-1, 10-3-1 UFC)

ODDS: Font (-135), Figueiredo (+114)

This fight certainly marks a new era for Figueiredo. Beyond this being the former flyweight champion’s debut up at 135 pounds, it also marks the first time in three years that he will fight someone besides Brandon Moreno. Before the Moreno rivalry, Figueiredo was mounting a “Fighter of the year” campaign in 2020 that also established him as the new face of the flyweight division, as “Deus Da Guerra” brought a level of violence to the proceedings that was not expected from most 125-pounders. Figueiredo’s considerable power and athleticism allowed him to take a patient approach, waiting to counter his opponent with single shots that could end the fight in an instant; and a 2019 win over Alexandre Pantoja was a knock-down drag-out war that showed he could keep up an effective pace if pressed into action. That performance seemed to unlock a new level for Figueiredo, who won the flyweight title with a quick and brutal win over Joseph Benavidez the following year. After his first title defense saw him tap Alex Perez in under two minutes, he took an unprecedented three-week turnaround to defend his strap against Moreno, starting a series of four fights over two and a half years that saw the pair trade wins and losses. Moreno came out on top in the fourth fight, at which point the two were clearly in each other’s heads, making adjustments to adjustments and leaving some questions as to how they would handle finally facing a different opponent. In Figueiredo’s case, that gets answered here—in a new division, to boot—against an excellent litmus test in Font.

This is also a big spot for Font. Even if Figueiredo’s future level of success at bantamweight is a question mark, he would be a big-name win in a career marked by Font’s inability to break into the 135-pound elite. Font’s UFC career got off to a slow start thanks to injuries and inactivity, and his early wins and losses showed a clear delineation in performance. Font was a diverse offensive terror against opponents he could march down and put away, but some steps up in competition saw him cede ground and become much less effective moving backwards. A 2019 win over Ricky Simon saw Font overcome those issues, as he held his ground and took apart a pathologically aggressive opponent over three rounds, and by 2021, he had established himself enough to earn some main event spot on UFC Fight Night cards. However, losses to Jose Aldo and Marlon Vera were a bit deflating, even though Font put in some strong performances. Font was able to rack up offense in both fights—he threw an absurd 520 strikes against Vera—that should have won him rounds, but Aldo and Vera were able to each find single shots that rocked him hard, negating his work and scoring clear decision victories. A cathartic win over Adrian Yanez in April, which saw Font score a knockout in a sprint, was a nice reminder that he is still a Top 10 bantamweight despite a clear ceiling—a ceiling that was then further affirmed by Cory Sandhagen in a wrestling-heavy affair in August. Even if Font’s momentum has been spotty, he is a perennially tough out who could give Figueiredo a lot of issues. Font’s game centers on establishing his jab, and he is both rangier and more effective at doing so than any of Figueiredo’s flyweight opponents. Add in that Font can keep throwing out volume and the fact that he has never actually been knocked out, and it is easy to see him establishing an early lead that he never gives up as Figueiredo attempts to pick his spots. Still, the former flyweight champ seems deserving of the benefit of the doubt here, particularly given Font’s previous struggles with patient power punchers in the past. There is a decent shot this winds up as another fight that Font wins statistically, only to come out on the losing end of all the fight-changing moments of offense. In what might be the most intriguing bout on the card, the pick is Figueiredo via decision.

Jump To »
Dariush vs. Tsarukyan
Turner vs. Green
Font vs. Figueiredo
Brady vs. Gastelum
Soriano vs. Stoltzfus
Silva vs. Guida
The Prelims