Font vs Figueiredo Prediction: A Bantamweight Debut for the Flyweight GOAT

Deiveson Figueiredo will make his bantamweight debut this weekend when the former flyweight king takes on the division's #8, Rob Font. As usual we're back for our Font vs Figueiredo prediction where the debutant is a rare underdog.

This will also be Figueiredo's first fight in seven bouts where he has not been in a title fight, as he's spent the last three years defending, losing, winning back and losing his title again across a four-fight thriller with Brandon Moreno.

UFC Austin: Font vs Figueiredo Prediction

Rob Font Preview

After making his MMA debut back in 2011, Font has put together a solid record of 20 wins and seven losses, although things have been quite topsy-turvy for him in the UFC, especially in the past two years.

Since late 2020 where he defeated Marlon Moraes, Font has only gone on to beat Cody Garbrandt across five rounds and Adrian Yanez in round one. Ultimately, when he steps up to fight a top five contender and push deeper into the realms of the title talk, he fails to come up with the goods.

On the other hand, Font's two wins in the past two two years have been excellent to witness. His recent TKO over Yanez rightfully earned him a Performance of the Night in what was a stunning display of boxing within that first round finish. Against Garbrandt, the American also won practically every minute of the fight.

The key to victory in NYFights' Font vs Figueiredo prediction is a KO/TKO. A decision win is not off the cards, given how it's a three-round affair. However, Figueiredo is known for coming out fast and will want to make a statement after his flyweight title loss and how this is on his bantamweight debut.

Figueiredo's power is exceptional for someone of his size and stature, and his overall MMA skill on a pound for pound basis is greatly superior to Font's, hence why he is considered the GOAT down at 125 lbs in the eyes of many.

Deiveson Figueiredo Preview

After four title fights with Moreno, Figueiredo has now put together a 21-3-1 record, losing to Moreno twice, beating him once and drawing the other fight with the Mexican.

In fact, this will be the first time in three years he has fought someone other than Moreno, as he defeated Alex Perez via guillotine choke back in November, 2020. Figueiredo has also recorded eight other wins in the UFC, including a win over the current champion at flyweight, Alexandre Pantoja.

The main issue for Figueiredo at bantamweight is his size. The Brazilian is just 5 ft 5, and although he was relatively big for flyweight, he is also quite small for bantamweight. To put it in perspective, the likes of Sean O'Malley, Aljamain Sterling, Font and Merab Dvalishvili will all tower over him and make the Brazilian look like the flyweight he has been for so long.

However, if he doesn't look out of place in the size department, NYFights sees nothing but a win for the ex-champion in our Font vs Figueiredo prediction.

Rob Font vs Deiveson Figueiredo Prediction: A Bantamweight Debut for a Flyweight GOAT

Ultimately, this fight comes down to whether or not Figueiredo has the capabilities of fitting in at bantamweight with his size and stature, because in reality, he is going to look considerably smaller to almost every other fighter in the top 10, besides Henry Cejudo. In fact, even Cejudo looks bigger just based off his muscle mass, despite being an inch smaller.

On a pound for pound basis, you could easily argue that the Brazilian is better than everyone in the top five of the bantamweight division, and he is unquestionably a better fighter than Font. But, as alluded to, it's just whether or not he can figure out the range and if he is physically capable of this weight jump.

In terms of odds, Figueiredo is as big of an underdog as he has been in the UFC at +112, which likely comes down to the questionable aforementioned factor of weight. The former flyweight champion is also +370 to win on points and +500 for a KO/TKO victory.

What's more, given his excellence in grappling, his black belt in jiu-jitsu and his record of eight submissions, you cannot overlook the odds of +550 for a submission win, especially given Font's weakness in this area and desire to strike instead of grapple.

NYFights' Font vs Figueiredo prediction does test the waters of an upset win, because it seems a lot of people have forgotten how good the flyweight legend is inside the cage. If you're backing Font, however, odds are at +210 to win on points and +310 to register what would be his ninth win via KO/TKO.