Brandon Moreno says Deiveson Figueiredo ‘is working far flung from me,’ responds to racism allegations

Brandon Moreno thinks Deiveson Figueiredo is doing every little thing he can to hang on to the UFC flyweight title and steer obvious of a fourth battle.

Moreno (19-5-2 MMA, 7-2-2 UFC) and Figueiredo (21-2-1 MMA, 10-2-1 UFC) are for the time being engaged in undoubtedly one of doubtlessly the most unparalleled rivalries in UFC history. They’ve fought three consecutive times, with each man a success one bout with the diversified ending in a plot. They’ve spent higher than one hour of cage time in opposition to each diversified since December 2020, but it tranquil stays unclear who is definitively higher.

Coming off Figueiredo’s razor-thin unanimous resolution at UFC 270 in January to gather the 125-pound strap, the promotion has reportedly been fascinating within the direction of a fourth meeting this summer. However, Figueiredo has no longer too prolonged within the past been vocal about his opposition to that draw, citing extra than one causes.

Figueiredo talked about he views Kai Kara-France, who is coming off support-to-support wins over Askar Askarov and Cody Garbrandt, as a extra viable challenger. Additionally, he talked about he thinks Moreno is unworthy of a championship different after undoubtedly one of his teammate engaged in what he regarded as to be racist social media exercise.

All the draw thru a UFC 270 press conference, Moreno’s teammate Marcelo Rojo hosted an Instagram reside whisk. A screenshot from the session showed a filter of a monkey head on Figueiredo’s physique, which upset him because he’s on “a marketing campaign to discontinuance racist and prejudice in my metropolis where it is predominately Indians and blacks.”

Moreno answered to Figueiredo’s comments and defined his facet of the memoir in an interview with ESPN Deportes.

“It’s correct tiresome,” Moreno talked about in Spanish. “He was playing along with his phone and he was streaming reside on Instagram and he was the usage of many filters. It’s a disgrace we don’t enjoy the fleshy video because it was a reside whisk, he didn’t assign it aside. He was the usage of filters on all people. Dana White, my teammates and he even gentle a filter on me. He was switching filters after which seems a monkey filter on Figueiredo, that’s correct and any individual took a screenshot. We don’t know who, and (he) begins calling Marcelo Rojo a racist. And Marcelo, you’re no longer going to let me lie: He’s no longer racist.”

Though Moreno seems to love the sensitivity of the jam at hand, he doesn’t mediate it’s lawful reasoning for the UFC to change gears and offers Kara-France the next title shot over him. Moreno is convinced Figueiredo is correct the usage of any tactics he can to steer obvious of the fourth battle.

“I’ve already talked to the UFC, with the head guys within the promotion,” Moreno talked about. “They told me the fourth battle is determined. At some level they told me no longer to grief. That the draw is for me to battle again for the title. So I mediate at this level Deiveson is working far flung from me. I’m no longer lying. UFC needs Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno 4. I’ve talked about yes already, but the diversified piece hasn’t.”

UFC president Dana White has publicly talked about within the past that he takes a champion’s idea into consideration when matchmaking. It stays to be considered if White and the UFC brass will give Figueiredo’s demand to battle any individual diversified than Moreno any true serious thought.

From Moreno’s level of view, even supposing, it’s fleshy steam forward.

“He needs to love that he’s tranquil the B-facet on this, and that’s no longer my fault,” Moreno talked about. “I’m correct here to battle and be the appropriate. … Chances for him to lose this battle in opposition to me are very high and he sees a higher different vs. Kara-France to remove the belt and produce some money. Nonetheless he is conscious of that the one ‘money battle’ for him is with me. Straightforward info.”

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