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Speaking in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, Brandon Moreno said that he believes Deiveson Figueiredo wasn't as sick as he claims prior to their UFC 256 scrap.
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Following Figueiredo and Moreno fighting to a draw at UFC 256, Figueiredo revealed he was in the hospital on the morning of the fight. However, for the Mexican, he doesn't think the champ was as sick as he says he was, as if his story was true, the fight would have been cancelled.
"That is just an excuse by him. A lot of fighters get sick after the weight cut, it is normal. He made the decision to fight," Moreno said to Sportskeeda. "If he was that sick, why did he fight? My arm was destroyed but I kept fighting."
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Entering the fight, Brandon Moreno heard all the talk that Deiveson Figueiredo would finish him early. He also felt disrespected by the fans who thought he had no chance.
Ultimately, Moreno proved people wrong as he performed admirably and went the distance with the champ.
"He is considered a finisher, so I understood it," he explained. "I knew the first and second round were going to be hard for me because he has os much power and has the energy. After that, he started to get tired, and for me, I started to feel better as the fight went on. However, in the fifth round, I couldn’t feel my left arm, I was in pain and couldn’t throw. "
When the fight went to the scorecards, Moreno had no clue what the result would be. He knew the scrap was close and because of the point deduction, it only made the final result that much more interesting.
"I knew something weird was going to happen because he lost a point. I knew the first round and fifth round were for him. I thought I won the second and fourth and the third was a toss-up. I couldn’t throw punches in the fifth, so I knew I lost it. It is what it is, the fight was very close."
Brandon Moreno discusses changes he'll make for the rematch
Given the fight was declared a draw, and it was a 'Fight of the Year' contender, Moreno knows he will be rematching Figueiredo sometime in 2021.
The Mexican does want some time off after fighting twice in three weeks. The hope for Moreno is to have the fight in April and have a full camp for the champ.
"For me, in the perfect world, April is perfect. I need to rest, recover and spend time with my family," Moreno said. "In January I will start to train again and make a new gameplan for Figueiredo. In a perfect world, March or April is perfect."
In the rematch, Moreno says he will change his strategy up. Going into the bout, he admits he was worried about Figueiredo's power and didn't want to stand and trade with him. However, after getting hit by the Brazilian's hardest shots, he will have no problem standing with him in the rematch and putting a high pace on the champ to gas him out.
"I think it was about confidence. Yes, he has power and he pushed hard but I expected more," Moreno revealed. "He was saying he was going to knock me out but that isn’t true. In the rematch, I have the confidence to stand and trade with him."
For now, Moreno is back at home healing up and enjoying the holidays. Once 2021 hits, the Mexican will be back in camp preparing for his rematch with Figueiredo.
