Deiveson Figueiredo says Brandon Moreno is “running away” from trilogy fight: “He doesn’t want to lose the belt”

Deiveson Figueiredo says flyweight champ Brandon Moreno is “running away” from their trilogy fight, saying “he doesn’t want to lose the belt.”

Figueiredo and Moreno fought to a majority draw last December at UFC 256 in a fight that Figueiredo was the champ heading into it. Most people thought that Figueiredo did enough to win, but with a point deduction for a low blow, the fight was ruled a majority draw. The UFC decided to run back the rematch immediately, and this time around, Moreno pulled off the upset with a third-round rear-naked choke of Figueiredo back at UFC 263 in June.

Since their rematch, Figueiredo has continued to call out Moreno for a trilogy fight, but so far, the champ has remained undeterred and has suggested that there are other fights he wants fight, including Cody Garbrandt and Alexandre Pantoja. Moreno wants Figueiredo to get one more win before a title shot, but the Brazilian believes he has earned it already.

“He was a rogue. Now he is running away from the fight. He knows the only fight he’s going to sell is me and him. He doesn’t want to lose the belt. He is now even more arrogant, more playboy. I want the rematch and I’m going to show that I wasn’t doing well in the second fight. In the first fight I broke him in the fight, he shrank back to not get knocked out. I gave the rematch and now he does a nasty thing like that? Why isn’t it time? Why doesn’t he have a fight in Mexico? What makes me pissed the most is seeing him pay at a loss and not wanting our trilogy,” Figueiredo told AG Fight.

“He had to be a man and assume the position of champion. I defended (the belt) against him. He knows I won’t let go. I’m going to do the same as the first one (fight), which was sick and I fought well. It became personal. I don’t even like to look at his posts, it makes me nauseous. The will is to go out on a fight with him. It’s a two-wire stop, when it meets, it’s short-circuited, it’s on fire.”

Do you agree with Deiveson Figueiredo that he deserves the trilogy fight with Brandon Moreno?