Deiveson Figueiredo disputes Dana White’s claim that he’s fighting Manel Kape at UFC 290

Don’t expect Deiveson Figueiredo to share the Octagon with Manel Kape at UFC 290.

UFC President Dana White recently announced the full lineup for UFC 290, which is scheduled to take place on July 8 in Las Vegas. Fight fans noticed a bout between former UFC Flyweight Champion Figueiredo and former Rizin Bantamweight Champion Kape was listed.

This left many confused because last month Figueiredo appeared on MMAFighting’s “Trocação Franca” and revealed that he was forced to pull out of the fight and he wasn’t medically cleared to compete.

Deiveson Figueiredo Insists He’s Out Of UFC 290

Guilherme Cruz has posted an update on the situation, confirming that Figueiredo insists he still hasn’t been medically cleared and will not be in action at UFC 290.

The Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Manel Kape fight still off despite Dana White's UFC 290 announcement today, Figueiredo confirmed to me.

Like Figueiredo told me last week, he's not cleared by the doctors at the moment.

— Guilherme Cruz (@guicruzzz) May 10, 2023

Figueiredo hasn’t seen action inside the Octagon since his third-round TKO loss via doctor’s stoppage earlier this year. He was defeated by Brandon Moreno in their fourth encounter, and lost the UFC Flyweight Championship in the process. Time will tell when he can step back inside the Octagon.

Manel Kape Goes Off

Kape doesn’t believe that Figueiredo truly wanted to fight him in the first place. He took to his Twitter account to put the former UFC Flyweight Champion on blast.

The truth is that he's fat, weak and old. He started training and felt it's not the same, so he ran from the fight. @danawhite @Mickmaynard2 @AliAbdelaziz00 please do something, I can’t stand these losers anymore.

— マネル・ケイプ موسى Manel Kape (@ManelKape) April 27, 2023

“This clown @Daico_Deiveson gave an interview saying that he was ready to fight in July, he signs the contract and then talks to the doctor asking if he can fight? He should talk to the doctor first and then sign. Bontorin, Alex Perez now this fake champion pull out?

“The truth is that he’s fat, weak and old. He started training and felt it’s not the same, so he ran from the fight. @danawhite @Mickmaynard2 @AliAbdelaziz00 please do something, I can’t stand these losers anymore.”

The fight would’ve been a huge opportunity for Kape, who is riding a three-fight winning streak. A win over Figueiredo could’ve catapulted Kape into the flyweight title picture, but it wasn’t meant to be, at least not now.