Team Deiveson Figueiredo releases statement on weight miss, says doctors told him to stop cutting

Deiveson Figueiredo was looking to become the new UFC flyweight champion on Saturday but that will no longer be the case.

In the main event of UFC Norfolk, Figueiredo was set to take on Joseph Benavidez for the vacant flyweight title. Yet, on Friday morning, the Brazilian missed weight by 2.5 pounds and didn’t attempt to cut the remaining pounds. Meaning Benavidez will be the only one who can win the flyweight title on Saturday night.

Now, following the weight miss, Deiveson Figueiredo’s manager Wallid Ismail provided an exclusive statement to BJEPNN.com as to what happened.

He says the Brazilian was stopped by doctors and they advised him to not continue to cut the weight. He also apologizes to Benavidez and the UFC for missing weight but still promises an exciting fight on Saturday.

“Stuff happens. He described to his doctor what he was feeling and his doctor told him to be careful and not cut any more weight. He felt a bad cramp and was nauseous. It was that. His doctor advised him to stop the weight cut,” Ismail said to BJPENN.com. “Now, he knows he needs to give the fans a great show for this fight. He promised the fans a big fight and this is what he is going to do tomorrow. There will be blood and it still will be a war. He wants to say thank you to Benavidez for still taking the fight and sorry to the fans and to the UFC for missing weight. It was a medical issue. He’s never missed weight in his entire career before this and he apologizes.”

This is the first time Deiveson Figueiredo has missed weight in his entire MMA career as Ismail points out and it could not have come at a worse time.

What do you make of Team Deiveson Figueiredo’s statement on the weight miss?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 2/28/2020.