“Dana, if you really like me, and I fight here, you need to give me the bonus of the night...” those were Figueiredo’s words following UFC 255.
Having just dispatched Alex Perez in under two minutes – with a near impossible seeming transition arm-in guillotine – Figueiredo found himself not with a performance bonus, but instead with the UFC looking for a favor. Bantamweight champion Petr Yan had just been forced from his headlining slot atop UFC 256, due to visa issues, the UFC needed a new title fight, and they needed it fast.
Enter Deiveson Figueiredo, the powerhouse flyweight champion that the UFC had failed to reward only moments earlier.