UFC Macau Main Event Preview: #3 Petr Yan vs #5 Deiveson Figueiredo

Petr Yan vs Deiveson Figueiredo is one of the best UFC Fight Night main events of 2024. The time it takes place being around 8am EST/5am PST due to the card being in China is inconvenient for American fans, but those who set their alarms (or the diehards who stay up all night) will doubtless be rewarded for their efforts.

Two former champions of different divisions colliding is always interesting, but in this instance neither man appears to have faded too far from their primes. Add in the fact that the fight is a title eliminator in the best division in MMA, bantamweight, and the hype for this one should make sense. 

As for the matchup itself, both men are well-skilled in a variety of areas. Yan has always been more of a striker, but possesses wrestling and judo abilities from his upbringing in Russia to go with his boxing, which many argue is the best in the UFC. 

Brazil’s ‘Deus da Guerra,’ on the other hand, is now 36 (5 years older than Yan) and has had to modify his style to preserve himself. Figueiredo, affectionately referred to by fans as ‘Figgy,’ always had good jiu-jitsu and wrestling, but has utilized grappling more and more to win fights in recent years. 

That began towards the end of his trilogy with Brandon Moreno, but Figgy really began to increase his takedown volume since moving up to bantamweight; the former flyweight king has attempted 26 takedowns in his last three fights. 

The efficiency was not there in his last fight, a fifteen minute, razor-thin decision win over Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera. Figgy also displayed some of the cardiovascular issues which hurt him as a flyweight in longer fights. With this being his first five-round fight since moving up in weight, that is especially relevant now. 

That issue is doubly compounded when considering Petr Yan’s wrestling defense. Losing to Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili does not mean he can’t wrestle; Yan still has a 85% takedown defense stat and defended 75 of 89 takedowns in his three fights against those two Longo and Weidman MMA fighters. 

The fight will mostly play out on the feet, where Yan’s kick defense will play a huge role against the low kicks of Figueiredo, which he likes to build off of. Figgy has gotten more one-dimensional as a striker as his athleticism begins to fade; his attacks are often predictable. Where they are not, Yan should still be able to counter, giving a blow for every one he takes. He is one of the best at that. 

Chito Vera already revealed that this new Deiveson can be flustered by simply being obstinate and refusing to go away. Staying in Figgy’s face and denying his wrestling outlet eventually yields results. Again, that will ring even more true in this five round affair in Macau. 

With ten extra minutes to work with for one of the best fighters in the sport at making reads and building as the fight gets longer, it is hard to believe Petr Yan will lose to Figueiredo. 

The fight will be competitive and Figgy is one of the most dangerous finishers at the lower weights, so he could finish ‘No Mercy,’ but Yan has never been knocked down before, much less finished. 

Though fans will get their money’s worth in terms of action, the main event of UFC Macau may become lopsided by the end, as I believe Petr Yan will pull away late. He may even earn a late finish in the championship rounds, something Russia’s brutal technician also did to another aged champ who had moved to bantamweight, Jose Aldo. If so, body work will get him there, just as it did against the GOAT.