Deiveson Figueiredo has reeled off three consecutive victories since moving to bantamweight, but he faces his biggest test to date in the division when he steps into the Octagon against Petr Yan at UFC Fight Night 248 on Saturday.
The fight is UFC Fight Night’s main event at Galaxy Arena in Macau, which begins at 3 a.m. ET.
Figueiredo (24-3-1), a two-time flyweight champion, has defeated Rob Font, Cody Garbrandt and Marlon “Chito” Vera since making the move to bantamweight. However, he is an underdog against Yan, a former champion in the division.
Yan (17-5-0) is coming off a unanimous decision win over Song Yadong at UFC 299 in March to snap a three-fight losing streak. He also has the distinction of losing to each of the past three champions in the division.
Meanwhile, Saturday will be the fourth fight for the 36-year-old Figueiredo in the past year.
“I’m feeling great,” Figueiredo said. “I couldn’t feel better for this fight. I’m sure it will be a great fight. I’m fighting a great opponent. He’s also facing a great fighter. I have a great game plan to get the finish.”
Yan opened as the -250 favorite at BetMGM, where those odds have shortened even further to -300. That’s despite Figueiredo drawing 81 percent of the bets and 54 percent of the total money wagered on the fight.
It has been the most heavily bet fight on the card, with the most popular prop being a Yan victory in round 5 at +1800 odds.
OTHER MAIN CARD FIGHTS
Yan Xiaonan (17-4-0) vs. Tabatha Ricci (11-2-0)
The co-main event features a pair of ranked strawweights. Xiaonan, 35, steps into the Octagon for the first time since her loss to Zhang Weili in a title bout at UFC 300. Meanwhile, Ricci has won her past two fights, most recently with a unanimous decision victory over Angela Hill in August.
It’s one of the tighter fights on the main card. Xiaonan is the -185 favorite and has been backed by 59 percent of the fight money. However, Ricci has been the more popular play overall with 53 percent of the total bets backing her at +150.
Song Kenan (22-8-0) vs. Muslim Salikhov (20-5-0)
Kenan is coming off a decision win over Ricky Glenn at UFC 305 in August to help reverse a trend that saw him lose three of his previous four fights. He’ll face off in this welterweight fight against the 40-year-old Salikhov, who earned a split decision win over Santiago Ponzinibbio in July to break a two-fight losing streak.
Salikhov opened as the -165 favorite and has shifted to -185 with 77 percent of the fight money backing him. Kenan (+150) has been supported by 60 percent of the total bets.
Wang Cong (6-0-0) vs. Gabriella Fernandes (9-3-0)
Cong, 32, is an older newcomer to the promotion, but scored a 62-second victory over Victoria Leonardo in August. She’s stepping in against former LFA titleholder Gabriella Fernandes, who earned a split decision win over Carli Judice in June. It was the first UFC win for Fernandes after a pair of losses.
Cong is by far the biggest favorite on the main card, having been backed by 90 percent of the total money while moving from -600 to -1000. Fernandes’ +625 underdog odds has drawn 81 percent of the total bets.
Volkan Oezdemir (20-7-0) vs. Carlos Ulberg (10-1-0)
Oezdemir has rebounded from a loss in a light heavyweight title fight a UFC 220 to score consecutive finishes, most recently with a first-round knockout of Johnny Walker in June. He has been working hard to reestablish himself as a title contender since that loss to Daniel Cormier in 2020.
Oezdemir will square off against Ulberg, who rides a six-fight winning streak into Macau. He didn’t have to work hard in his last outing, dispatching of Alonzo Menifield in just 12 seconds in St. Louis.
Ulberg is the -225 favorite, but those odds have lengthened a bit from -250. Meanwhile Oezdemir has shifted from +200 to +185 while receiving 63 percent of the total bets and 67 percent of the money.
“He’s an experienced fighter,” Ulberg told reporters this week. “I feel like he is primed and he is ready to shoot up for that next title shot as well. We’re in the same state right now where we’re putting ourselves towards the title.”
Zhang Mingyang (17-6-0) vs. Ozzy Diaz (5-2-0)
Diaz makes his UFC debut against Mingyang, who beat Brendon Ribeiro in his debut at UFC 298. Diaz, 33, is a graduate of Dana White’s Contender Series, where won his past two fights as a light heavyweight.
Both fighters are working to improve their contender status. Diaz has held steady as the +240 underdog while drawing 67 percent of the total bets. However, Mingyang has been backed by 72 percent of the money at -300.
–Field Level Media