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We have an excellent matchup between a pair of excellent fighters coming up in December when Deiveson Figueiredo faces off against Rob Font in an undercard matchup at UFC on ESPN 52 in Austin, Texas.
Figueiredo, a veteran flyweight, is in the process of moving up a class to take on Font at bantamweight on Saturday, December 2. Playing at his favored weight, Font is a comfortable favorite in the bout, listed at -150 at BetMGM’s Massachusetts sportsbook. Figueiredo, on the other hand, comes in at +125 to win the bout outright.
Dive into the fighters' backgrounds, performances, and profiles to gain valuable insights into their strategies and strengths, enriching your anticipation for this epic match.
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Font, who hails from Leominster, Massachusetts, stands 5-foot-8. He typically weighs in as close to the 135-pound upper limit of the bantamweight class, but even with that bulk in mind, he’s still a pretty lanky fighter, with an excellent 71.5-inch reach. At 36 years old, he’s built an illustrious resume, much of it at bantamweight. He settled in at that class in 2014, fighting a bit heavier at lightweight and featherweight beforehand.
Font possesses a 20-7 record to this point in his career. He’s an incredibly difficult fighter to beat straight up, never losing via knockout… and only losing via submission once. His other six losses came on a decision. When it comes to his wins, Font shows his varied talents. He’s earned nine knockout victories, four via submission and seven by decision. He may not be the best grappler who ever lived, but he’s good enough to hold his own on the ground.
Matchups where one of the fighters is changing weight classes always fascinate me. When it comes to collision and combat sports, I think that playing at one’s natural weight is important: take a look at Font, who had plenty of success in the lower echelons of the sport at heavier weights, but didn’t settle in and became the star he is today until he slimmed down to bantamweight, excelling with a lankier build.
Figueiredo’s situation isn’t analogous to Font’s, of course, as the Brazilian native is already well-established as a fighter. Even at 35 years old — Figueiredo will celebrate his 36th birthday roughly two weeks after his bout with Font — he’s still one of the best in the entire sport, ranking in as the No. 2 flyweight this past summer.
How he’ll take to the added pounds could prove critical to how the match plays out. Figueiredo stands 5-foot-5 and maxes out at 125 pounds when competing at flyweight. We won’t know until the official weigh-ins next week how close to that golden 135 pound mark he’s able to get, but he’s a much stockier athlete than Font is.
While Figueiredo packs more power per pound, he’s at a significant disadvantage with regards to height — and his reach, which is 68 inches.
Figueiredo holds a 21-3-1 record in his career, with just four of his wins coming via decision: the rest are split almost evenly between knockouts (9) and submissions (8). His losses are split evenly, with one apiece by knockout, submission and decision, along with a draw.
Right now, Figueiredo’s career seems to be in a downswing. He has just one win in the past three years, along with two losses and a draw: he hasn’t been taking part in a whole lot of matches, but the ones he has entered haven’t gone his way.
Font, on the other hand, sits with a 1-3 record since the start of 2021. The two fighters are on the back nine of their career, but it’ll be interesting to see who manages to log one last win in a late career burst. As it stands right now, it’s difficult to say who will win. When the odds are pretty close like this and neither fighter has a clear-cut upper hand on paper, it’s always fun to go with the upset picks like Figueiredo.
The mix of Font’s lanky balance against Figueiredo’s hard-hitting style makes for a fun matchup, and it’s hard to find a better undercard match than this one.
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