What happened to Deiveson Figueiredo's eye against Brandon Moreno? Controversial injury that cost 'Deus da Guerra' his UFC title

Three fights from the top at UFC Austin, former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo will be making his long-awaited bantamweight debut against divisional mainstay Rob Font.

After four fights with Brandon Moreno spanning two years, Figueiredo will finally be moving on from the rivalry and the flyweight division as a whole by taking on Font. At 35 years old, the former two-time UFC flyweight champion will begin his quest to become a two-division champion in one of the final fight cards of 2023.

Deiveson Figueiredo will be returning from a lengthy layoff after having successful surgery on a broken orbital suffered at UFC 283. The injury that resulted in the end of the fight stemmed from Brandon Moreno's big left hand, which the champion mistakenly believed was an eye poke. The cage-side doctor would controversially stop the fight in between the third and fourth rounds, though Moreno was comfortably in control.

With his flyweight run now over, the former champion ends his time at 125 pounds as one of the division's best, going 1-2-1 with Moreno. 'Deus da Guerra' has also racked up three championship wins and two title defenses during his reign.

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What happened to Deiveson Figueiredo's eye?

After the seemingly controversial punch that ended the co-main event of UFC 283, Deiveson Figueiredo pleaded for a referee stoppage for an eye poke but ultimately ended up losing the fight.

The Brazilian crowd was not pleased, though it turned out to be the right call. Upon reply, it was obvious that Moreno affected the champion's right eye with a closed fist.

As the dust had settled, Figueiredo disclosed he had suffered a broken orbital bone and a broken nose, both of which required surgery. In February 2023, Figueiredo then revealed he had a successful procedure to repair the damage.

Following his loss at UFC 283, Figueiredo had announced in front of his home crowd that he would no longer be competing at flyweight. In the post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier, Figueiredo said:

"It is [my] time to leave the division. Congratulations to Brandon, but I am moving up."

The Brazilian was scheduled to face rising contender Manel Kape at UFC 290 but withdrew after not being medically cleared to compete.