Sherdog’s Top 10: Greatest Flyweights

2. Deiveson Figueiredo

The current UFC flyweight king comes in second on the all-time list. From the standpoint of pure skills, Figueiredo may be the best fighter MMA has seen yet. His wrestling and BJJ are phenomenal and world-class. His striking is exceptional and he possesses monstrous power for the flyweight division. In particular, he has a unique and deadly style of keeping his hands very low, luring opponents in before unleashing huge power punches from unorthodox angles. The only weaknesses that have prevented Figueiredo from stomping every man he has ever faced have been shaky cardio, especially in the championship rounds, and occasional poor tactical decision-making, though there is good reason to believe he has fixed both these flaws. Figueiredo began his career a perfect 15-0, including knockouts of previously undefeated fighters in Daniel Araujo and Joseph Morales and folding up former title challenger John Moraga with a body punch. However, it should be noted that his split decision over Jarred Brooks could have easily gone the other way. Figueiredo then suffered his first defeat against the great Jussier Formiga via decision, which we have detailed before, largely the result of being over-aggressive.

Figueiredo recovered and approached fights in a smarter manner, scoring a dominant win over Alexandre Pantoja and easily submitting Tim Elliott in a round. He then fought Joseph Benavidez for the vacant flyweight throne, and despite scoring a spectacular knockout in Round 2, didn't win the championship since he had failed to make weight. He won their rematch in even more dominant fashion, submitting Benavidez in the first round. After obliterating and choking out challenger Alex Perez in under two minutes in his first title defense, Figueiredo was expected to reign for a long time, but along came Brandon Moreno, not only a supremely talented, but also an endlessly tough opponent who never stopped trying to win and was able to expose Figueiredo's questionable cardio. After dominating the early rounds, the Brazilian flagged in the later ones, and their first fight was scored a draw. This was only exacerbated in their rematch, where Figueiredo was submitted in Round 3. Many thought this was the end for Figueiredo as champion, as he was 33 years old and Moreno 27. However, he defied expectations by finally defeating Moreno in their rubber match, taking a close decision and showing much improved cardio and energy management. With Figueiredo turning 35 in a month and a big fourth match with Moreno looming, his placement on this list can go down, but is very unlikely to go up, thanks to the man who resides at the top spot.

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