A Pair of Blockbuster Flyweight Bouts Incoming for UFC 290

Also, expected to be added to the card is a Flyweight bout between former Flyweight Champ- Deiveson Figueiredo (21-3-1 MMA, 10-3-1 UFC) vs. Manel Kape (18-6 MMA, 3-2 UFC) who is currently on a three-fight win streak. The fight has reportedly been offered to both sides and is expected to be done soon as reported by Carlos Contreras Legaspi of ESPN. It looks like the move to Bantamweight was put on hold by Figueiredo. After his loss to Moreno at UFC 283 Figueiredo said, “Unfortunately, it’s time to leave this division, I’ve done a lot, congratulations to Brandon (Moreno), but I’m moving up.” insinuating a move up to Bantamweight during the Post-Fight Interview. Figueiredo continued, “I’ve done a lot, I fight for everyone that has a dream to be here, but I’m tired of making this weight. That’s why I’m moving up.”

Yet Another Rematch for “The Assassin Baby”

Moreno (21-6-2 Draws MMA, 10-3-2 UFC) has fought in four straight rematches against previous opponents (Kai Kara France & Figueiredo) and will now be taking on his fifth rematch in Pantoja. What kicked it all off was when Moreno fought to a Majority Draw with Figueiredo in their first meeting at UFC 256 for the title, following that bout, Moreno defeated Figueiredo in the rematch by third-round submission, capturing the title in the process. The tie-breaker followed and Figueiredo won by Unanimous Decision.

Next for Moreno was a rematch with Kara France at UFC 277 (the first bout was at UFC 245, and Moreno won by Unanimous Decision) in an interim title bout for the right to unify the titles against Figueiredo, Moreno defeated “KKF” via. TKO in the third round. Moreno then unified the titles at UFC 283 by defeating Figueiredo by TKO (Doctor Stoppage) after the end of the third round.

What’s different with this rematch is Moreno doesn’t have a former win over his ‘newest’ title challenger- Pantoja. Pantoja (25-5 MMA, 9-3 UFC) is officially 1-0 against Moreno but unofficially 2-0, their first meeting was during The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions in 2016, Pantoja defeated Moreno by second-round submission, but TUF bouts are ruled as exhibitions and not official. The pair did meet again in the UFC, this time officially and Pantoja won again by Unanimous Decision at UFC Fight Night 129 in May of 2018.

The current UFC 290 fight card via. Tapology remains a work in progress, so keep in mind fights can be subject to fall out, be added, or change.

• Featherweight Title Bout: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Yair Rodriguez
• Flyweight Title Bout: Brandon Moreno vs. Alexandre Pantoja
• Middleweight Bout: Bo Nickal vs. Tresean Gore
• Flyweight Bout: Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Manel Kape

Who do you have in the second (or third) bout between Moreno and Pantoja? What do you make of Figueiredo’s decision to stay at Flyweight, how does Kape deal with the step-up in competition? Let us know in the comments below!

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