Deiveson Figueiredo Expected to Take on Cody Garbrandt at UFC 300 in April

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship beltholder Cody Garbrandt is getting what he asked for.

At UFC 296, Garbrandt (14-5) laid waste to Brian Kelleher with one punch, putting himself on his first win streak since starting his career undefeated which culminated in winning the bantamweight belt in 2016. The knockout was his first stoppage in three over three years, and he used his post-fight interview to call out former flyweight king Deiveson Figueiredo (22-3-1). The promotion has elected to put that together for UFC 300, according to Ag. Fight on Thursday. The two will collide on April 13 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, and it was subsequently confirmed by Figueiredo on his Instagram Stories on Thursday.

Garbrandt returned to his victorious ways in March 2023 when he captured a decision over Trevin Jones, and he followed that by wiping out Kelleher in December. Those two triumphs put a rough 1-5 stretch in the rear-view mirror, which saw him lose by knockout four times in that stretch. Along the way, his only win came against Raphael Assuncao in a “Knockout of the Year” contender in 2020.

Ex-flyweight kingpin Figueiredo shifted gears at the age of 35, moving up to bantamweight after claiming the weight cuts to 125 pounds took too much of a toll on his body. His trip up in weight worked out, as he outworked and busted up Rob Font to prevail by clear-cut decision. Facing Font concluded a four-fight stretch—the only such stretch in UFC history—where he fought Brandon Moreno four times in a row for divisional gold. “Daico” ultimately lost the tetralogy match by doctor stoppage at UFC 283.

UFC 300 still does not have a headliner on tap, although UFC head Dana White promised that upwards of three title fights could sit on the marquee. One championship bout is currently on the slate, as Weili Zhang will look to defend her strawweight crown against countrywoman Xiaonan Yan. Other bouts on the billing include a no. 1 lightweight contender match between Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan, a potential light heavyweight title eliminator battle when Jiri Prochazka takes on Aleksandar Rakic and a featherweight pairing of Aljamain Sterling vs. Calvin Kattar.