"There are some guys that are way better than him" - UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo does not believe Aljamain Sterling will be champion by the time Figueiredo moves up to bantamweight

UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo has a rather intriguing prediction regarding UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling. During a recent appearance on MMA Fighting’s Trocação Franca podcast, Figueiredo reiterated that he’d like to eventually move up to bantamweight.

‘Deus da Guerra’ asserted that by the time he moves up to bantamweight, Sterling won’t be the division's champion. Deiveson Figueiredo noted that there are other bantamweights who are better than Sterling.

He opined that fighters like former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo and former UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw will likely beat Sterling should they receive title shots. Figueiredo stated:

“I admit, I have the desire to go up to 135… I don’t know when, only God knows that. [But] as long as I’m having success at 125 and have someone to challenge me, rest assured that I’ll continue defending what’s mine.”

“I think it’s a matter of time until he [Sterling] loses this spot... There are some guys that are way better than him. If he collides with Jose Aldo, Jose Aldo knocks him out... I’ve observed [Dillashaw] a lot, he’s very strategic and smart. When he fights for the belt again, he will win this title back.”

Presently, UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling is scheduled to defend his belt against T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 280 on October 22nd. Elsewhere on the UFC 280 card, former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan will fight Sean O’Malley.

Meanwhile, Jose Aldo is set to face Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 278 on August 20th. The consensus is that the winner of either the Yan-O’Malley or Aldo-Dvalishvili matchups could earn a title shot against the winner of the Sterling-Dillashaw fight.

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Deiveson Figueiredo on his bantamweight plans, possible fight against Aljamain Sterling

UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo has been dealing with hand injury issues since his last bout against Brandon Moreno in January of this year.

Meanwhile, the UFC has booked an interim UFC flyweight title matchup between Brandon Moreno and Kai Kara-France that is set to transpire at UFC 277 on July 30. The fight’s winner will face Figueiredo in a title unifier bout at some point in the future.

On the Mundo da Luta podcast a few weeks ago, Deiveson Figueiredo emphasized that cutting down to flyweight is tough for him, given he’s almost 35 years old. Noting that he’ll defend his flyweight title two or three times before moving up to bantamweight, Figueiredo proceeded to jibe at Aljamain Sterling. Figueiredo said:

“I want to face the champion, Aljamain Sterling. I see fear in his eyes. I know he doesn't want to face me, and I'm sure we'll have a great fight and I'll be champion when that happens.”