Chael Sonnen cautions Deiveson Figueiredo after the UFC flyweight champ threatens to leave the division without a pay raise: “Now it sounds like we need to strip you”

MMA analyst Chael Sonnen has warned Deiveson Figueiredo following his recent comments regarding a pay raise.

Over the course of the last few years, Deiveson Figueiredo has established himself as one of the best flyweights in the world – and at UFC 270, he cemented his spot as the king of the division by winning the strap back from Brandon Moreno.

A lot of fans don’t particularly enjoy the brash way in which Figueiredo goes about his business but in terms of his fighting ability, there are few better in the lighter weight classes.

Recently, the Brazilian made it known that he isn’t overly pleased about the creation of an interim title, prompting Sonnen to question the logic of the champ.

“Figueiredo has now come out and said I’m gonna leave the division. If he’s going to leave the division, then not only is it extremely appropriate that we do this interim belt, it’s more appropriate that we revisit it to figure out if this needs to be the undisputed belt. We’ve got to take him at his word.”

“I wanna throw an arm around Figueiredo and say hey, the community respects you, everything’s great. But then when he comes off the back of it and says I’m not returning to the division, how do I say you’re the rightful undisputed champion?”

“He [also] said he’d only return to the division if he was paid more money. The UFC knows right now, today, are we going to pay him more money.”

“He’s stated that he’s going to leave the division and he’s 95% certain that he’s not returning. Now we do need to relook at it and go okay, we weren’t stripping you, but now it sounds like we need to strip you. We’ve got to take you at your word.”

Brandon Moreno will meet Kai Kara-France for the interim flyweight championship at UFC 277 next month.