Figueiredo vows to prove he's 'still alive' in title picture at UFC Macau

Deiveson Figueiredo walks into Galaxy Arena in Macau on Saturday carrying a 1-3 record over his last four fights and the weight of a bantamweight title run that has quietly stalled. The former UFC flyweight champion faces local favourite Song Yadong in the Fight Night headliner, with Figueiredo acknowledging the stakes plainly: “I have to show that I’m still alive.”

The Brazilian, now 38, moved up to bantamweight and won his first three bouts in the new division, putting himself in serious contention for a shot at the belt. But defeats to Petr Yan, Cory Sandhagen, and most recently Umar Nurmagomedov have pushed him to the margins of the title picture. Speaking before departing Brazil for China, Figueiredo said years of high-stakes competition have left him “immune” to pressure — but he was equally direct about what this fight means.

“Absolutely. Without a doubt,” he said when asked if this qualifies as a must-win. “There were some complications for past fights but I’m feeling really good for this fight and I want to show that I’m still alive in the title picture.”

One of those complications came in the same venue. Yan handed Figueiredo a decision loss at Galaxy Arena in 2024, snapping a winning streak that had made him a genuine title contender. He says the return trip feels different.

“We’re not going to have the same difficulties we had the first time,” Figueiredo said. “We already know what to do and how to do it. Even with the weight cut too.”

The weight cut has been a recurring issue. In his most recent outing — a unanimous decision loss to Nurmagomedov in Las Vegas this past January — Figueiredo missed weight, a failure he attributed to a combination of personal difficulties and a storm-delayed flight from Brazil that disrupted his final preparations.

“I had some personal problems. I was in a really bad place mentally. And leaving Brazil there were issues with the flight — a complication that really screwed me over,” he said. “My head was messed up, I missed weight, and then I had to fight a tough guy too. Umar, a guy who pins you down on the ground. Not being 100 percent made it a very complicated fight.”

For this camp, Figueiredo split his preparation between The Fighting Nerds gym in São Paulo and a stint in Natal alongside Bellator veterans Patricio and Patricky Pitbull. He credited Fighting Nerds head coach Pablo Sucupira with designing the game plan for Song, a durable, aggressive fighter who rarely allows bouts to stay comfortable.

“We expect it could go to a decision,” Figueiredo said, “but I don’t like leaving things in the hands of the judges. Song is a guy who comes to fight.”

At 38, with title contention slipping and a weight-class move that has yet to fully deliver, Figueiredo’s night in Macau carries consequences that extend well beyond a single result on his record.