The flyweight division has a new champion and he looks terrifying. Deiveson Figueiredo left the world in no doubt that he is the best active flyweight in the UFC. The Brazilian fought Joseph Benavidez for a second time and put him to sleep with a rear-naked choke.

This was the second time that the pair fought. Their first bout was also for the vacant belt. However, Figueiredo came in overweight so he was not eligible to win the strap. Then he went on to knock out Benavidez in brutal style. But before the KO, the pair clashed heads.

Benavidez claimed that this was what led to the finish. In effect, the UFC shrugged its shoulders and booked the fight again. This time both men made weight and had a point to prove. In the end, it was Figueiredo who proved that he is a nightmare for anybody in this division.

One-Way Traffic

This was terrible to watch if you like Benavidez. But the only good thing was that it didn’t last long. The Brazilian caught Benavidez with a left hook after about 45 seconds. Then, he followed his victim to the ground, looking to smash him with elbows. He also went searching for the rear-naked choke.

Benavidez survived these efforts and made it back to his feet. He threw some volume of his own but it didn’t faze Figueiredo at all. He dropped Benavidez again but he got back to his feet. However, the Brazilian was able to secure his third knockdown of the round and then went to town with his strikes.

Finally, after landing a barrage of violent strikes, he cranked in the rear-naked choke. Benavidez hung tough but in the end, he went to sleep. For anybody watching – including his wife and UFC reporter Megan Olivi – this was tough to see.

Tough to Take

Credit has to go to Benavidez for trying to hang in tough. He knew that this was his last chance to win a title. But in the end, he fell short yet again. It will be tough coming in as second-best yet again following the era of Demetrious Johnson. But he can at least seek solace in the fact that he’s one of the most well-liked fighters on the roster.

The question for him is where does he go from here? There is no hope of him fighting for the title while Figueiredo is champion. A few more paychecks may tempt him but if he were to retire it would make sense too. His body has been through the wringer.

Champion

However, make no mistake, Figueiredo is a worthy champion. This was as dominant a display as we’ve seen in the division since the days of Demetrious Johnson. If only we could get ‘DJ’ back because this would be a brilliant fight. However, Johnson is currently waiting to fight for the ONE flyweight strap so that’s never going to happen.

It’s difficult to see who can beat Figueiredo. The division will have to get used to him holding onto the belt. What a scintillating win.

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