Brazilian Deiveson Figueiredo became the new Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) flyweight champion after topping American Joseph Benavidez by technical submission (rear-naked choke) in the opening round of their headlining fight on Sunday on the “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Fighting for the vacant flyweight title, Mr. Figueiredo was just dominant right from the opening bell that saw him dropping Mr. Benavidez three times in the early goings before putting the latter to sleep with a rear-naked choke at the 4:48 mark of the first round.
The win was the second straight for the Brazilian over Mr. Benavidez, who he defeated by technical knockout (punches) in the second round of their first meeting early this year in February.
It was the fourth straight victory for Mr. Figueiredo (19-1) while the loss sent Mr. Benavidez (28-7) to back-to-back losses.
The dominant performance also won for Mr. Figueiredo “Performance of the Night” and the $50,000 bonus that goes with it.
Also winning on Sunday was middleweight Jack Hermansson of Sweden, who made short work of Kelvin Gastelum of the United States with a first-round submission win (heel hook).
Sunday’s action was once again played without an audience as a precaution against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Next for the UFC is the showdown between middleweights Robert Whittaker and Darren Till, which is the headlining fight for July 26 also on the Abu Dhabi Fight Island. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
