Deiveson Figueiredo is still alive in the bantamweight mix.
The former UFC flyweight champion outworked and outlasted Montel Jackson on Saturday night in the co-main event of UFC Rio, securing an emotional split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) to halt the first losing streak of his career and remain in contention at the Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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Figueiredo, 37, burst into tears after the scorecards were read and delivered a heartfelt message of appreciation to his Brazilian countrymen. He also reaffirmed his pursuit of the UFC bantamweight title currently held by pound-for-pound star Merab Dvalishvili.
“I want to fight Merab,” Figueiredo said. “Obviously I fought this guy, who’s a highly-ranked guy, but I want to fight Merab. But I know I have to work hard to get there. I still have to work very hard to get there.”
A two-time UFC flyweight champion, Figueiredo (24-5-1) entered Saturday’s contest reeling from the first losing skid of his decorated MMA career. Following a promising 3-0 start to his bantamweight run in 2023-24, “Deus Da Guerra” crashed hard into the brick wall that is the elite of the 135-pound division, dropping back-to-back bouts against Petr Yan and Cory Sandhagen. The latter contest, held this past May at UFC Des Moines, also resulted in a knee injury for Figueiredo.
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For his comeback effort, he took on the surging Jackson (15-2), who rode a six-fight win streak into UFC Rio, capped off most recently by a decision win over Daniel Marcos in May.
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With the partisan Brazilian crowd very much on his side, Figueiredo opened strong against the red-hot American, securing takedowns in each of the first two rounds and spending time working offense from the mount position in the second frame. Figueiredo found early success with lunging right hands and knees inside the pocket, however Jackson, 33, began to turn the tide in final minute of the Round 2, letting his hands go with long one-twos and finally deploying his 7.5-inch range advantage to great effect.
The final round was a much more labored and uneventful affair, as both men noticeably slowed. For Jackson, a combination of a steady stream of leg kicks and a brief takedown won him the round on all three scorecards purely based on activity.
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Judges Clemens Werner and Jerin Valel both scored Round 1 to Figueiredo, while judge Fabio Alves scored it to Jackson, prompting the split verdict. Figueiredo won Round 2 on all three scorecards.
Saturday’s bounce-back performance puts Figueiredo at 4-2 since making the move up to 135 pounds in late 2023, while Jackson falls to 9-2 in his past 11 UFC appearances.
