A WIN AGAINST Joseph Benavidez won’t be enough for Deiveson Figueiredo to be crowned UFC flyweight champion.
The title was due to be on the line for both men in tomorrow night’s UFC Fight Night 169 main event in Norfolk, Virginia.
However, while the fight will still go ahead, only Benavidez (28-5) is now eligible to win the belt after Figueiredo (17-1) was unable to make weight today.
Benavidez tipped the scales at 124.5 pounds, but his Brazilian opponent came in at 127.5 pounds – 2.5 pounds above the flyweight limit. As well as losing his shot at becoming a UFC champion, Figueiredo must forfeit 30% of his purse to Benavidez.
Figueiredo, 32, played his way into title contention by bouncing back from a defeat to Jussier Formiga with impressive wins against Alexandre Pantoja and Tim Elliott.
Benavidez – who’s riding a streak of victories over Formiga, Dustin Ortiz and Alex Perez – is bidding to claim the flyweight strap at the third time of asking. The 35-year-old Texan twice suffered losses to former champion Demetrious Johnson.
The UFC flyweight title is being vacated by two-weight champion Henry Cejudo, who’s set to focus his efforts on defending the bantamweight belt.
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