By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Deiveson Figueiredo put out a masterful performance against veteran Joseph Benavidez by choking him out in the first round to grab the vacant UFC flyweight title.
After the bell rang, Figueiredo immediately went to work by overwhelming Benavidez with his striking, knocking him down three times in the first round.
It was clear that the Brazilian fighter wanted to win by submission after two failed choke attempts which he did each time he knocked down Benavidez.
Instead of finishing Benavidez through ground and pound, Figueiredo positioned himself on his opponent’s backside for a choke which he failed twice but succeeded during the last 12 seconds in the first round.
“I knew that my time was going to come, and this is my time. I’m going to continue to defend this belt, and I’m going to be an active champion,” said Figueiredo.
Meanwhile, Jack Hermansson upset Kelvin Gastelum during their middleweight bout via heel hook submission that stunned most in the UFC community where Hermansson came in as the clear underdog for the fight.
