A Khabib Nurmagomedov camp seems like a magic cave where fighters go in as competitors and come out as betting favorites. Deiveson Figueiredo is not different as he prepares to take on Marlon Vera in Abu Dhabi.
The former flyweight champion arrived in Abu Dhabi a few days before his fight in order to acclimatize to different factors such as time change, weather and so on.
During his stay in the city, he has been training at Khabib Nurmagomedov’s gym in Abu Dhabi. A few days before his fight, a video was shared online of Figueiredo and his team meeting ‘The Eagle’.
During their brief exchange, Nurmagomedov wished them well and stated that this was their home and they were free to come and train here at any point in time.
Needless to say, fans reacted to the clip shared online with a majority claiming this meant a guaranteed win for the champion.
One fan said, “Chito is getting submitted confirmed.”
Chito is getting submitted confirmed. pic.twitter.com/1AaiGEgmrn
— Talking Lizard (@Lizard69Talking) July 29, 2024
Another fan dismissed Vera saying, “Lmao imagine going this hard to beat chito vera.”
Lmao imagine going this hard to beat chito vera
— ☘︎ (@tripleg4L) July 29, 2024
“We will take shitos soul”– commented a fan praising Figueiredo.
We will take shitos soul pic.twitter.com/N2lKcFSAUM
— goatbaggie (@goatbaggie) July 29, 2024
Another fan commented on the exchange saying, “Great, now he’s gonna get staph.”
Great, now he’s gonna get staph
— JumpTheGillyMMA (@JumpTheGilly) July 30, 2024
“Got the khabib stimulus package Chito’s cooked”- stated a fan picking Figueiredo to get the job done against Marlon Vera.
Got the khabib stimulus package Chito’s cooked
— omair (@maxhollowayfan) July 30, 2024
As ‘Daico’ looks for a third straight win, let’s take a closer look at his upcoming fight.
A closer look at Figueiredo vs Vera
The former flyweight champion is on a two fight win streak with wins over the likes of Cody Garbrandt and Rob Font. Chito meanwhile aims to get back to the glory days after losing the title to Sean O’Malley at UFC 299.
Going into the fight, he will have a three-inch height and two-inch reach advantage. Both men are strikers first and therefore, the height and reach advantage will be crucial for ‘Chito’. If he is able to keep Figueiredo on the outside and utilize his reach and height well, it should do the trick, at least for long enough for him to get the judges on his side.
Meanwhile, a win for Figueiredo will put him put within touching distance of a title shot. He might not get it right away since the winner of Umar Nurmagomedov vs Cory Sandhagen will face the winner of Sean O’Malley vs Merab Dvalishvili for the title. So the gold rush is still some way down the road.
For Vera on the flip side, a win will be hoping that this fight is a stepping stone towards his journey back to the title. Either way fans are in for an extremely exciting night.
