Deiveson Figueiredo Bio
Deiveson Alcântara Figueiredo, widely known by his ring names “Daico” and “Deus Da Guerra,” is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist born on December 18, 1987, in Soure, Pará, Brazil. He currently competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and is a former two-time UFC Flyweight Champion. Standing 5 feet 5 inches tall with a 68-inch reach, Figueiredo is widely regarded as one of the greatest Flyweights in mixed martial arts history, with a Flyweight record of 10 wins, 3 losses, and 1 draw.
Currently training out of Fight Ready, Figueiredo has built a reputation for finishing power, grappling craft, and memorable championship battles. Outside the cage, he continues to live in his native Soure, Pará, and remains closely tied to the Brazilian MMA community through his former gym, Team Figueiredo, and his ongoing work with emerging fighters in the region.
Early Life and Background
Early Life and Background
Deiveson Alcântara Figueiredo was born on December 18, 1987, in Soure, a small city on the isle of Marajó in the northern Brazilian state of Pará. He grew up in a humble household shaped by the rhythms of rural life on the island, where his father worked as a buffalo herder and practiced luta marajoara, a regional folk wrestling style rooted in the local culture. This early exposure to traditional grappling left a lasting mark on the young Figueiredo and helped plant the seeds for his future in combat sports.
Figueiredo worked alongside his father on an animal farm until he was thirteen, developing the discipline and toughness that would later define his fighting career. Around the age of nine, he began wrestling by following in his father’s footsteps, and later moved to Belém to attend high school, where he also began training in capoeira. He has a younger sister and a brother, Francisco Figueiredo, who is also a professional mixed martial artist and has been signed with the UFC, giving the Figueiredo family a notable presence in the sport.
At the age of sixteen, Figueiredo began training in mixed martial arts under the tutelage of UFC Bantamweight Iuri “Marajó” Alcântara, a respected figure in the regional MMA scene. Before dedicating himself fully to fighting, he held a series of odd jobs, including work as a farmer, bricklayer, hairdresser, taxi driver, and sushi chef, experiences that shaped his grounded approach to the sport.
Path to MMA
Figueiredo made his professional MMA debut in February 2012, defeating fellow debutant Aluisio Ferreira by first-round submission. Over the next several years, he built his record in regional circuits across Pará and Maranhão, facing mostly debuting opponents but also more experienced fighters like David Silva and Joel Silva. Those early bouts allowed him to sharpen his grappling base and finish-oriented style while earning a reputation as a dangerous prospect on the Brazilian regional scene.
In late 2014, Figueiredo signed with Jungle Fight, one of Brazil’s prominent MMA promotions, and made his debut at Jungle Fight 75 against Rayner Silva, winning by second-round TKO. After a cancelled bout at Revelation FC 3 and another scrapped appearance at Revelation FC 4, he returned to Jungle Fight and posted successive submission and TKO wins over Antônio de Miranda and undefeated Denis Araujo Oliveira, performances that began to attract the attention of major promotions.
Deiveson Figueiredo Career
Early Career (2012-2017)
During his early career, Figueiredo compiled a strong record on the Brazilian regional circuit, competing for promotions such as Jungle Fight while developing his well-rounded skill set. His finishes by submission and strikes showcased a balanced threat on the ground and on the feet, and his regional run established him as a serious contender ready for the global stage.
Following several years of development in Brazil, Figueiredo earned a contract with the UFC and made his promotional debut on June 3, 2017, at UFC 212 against Marco Beltran, winning by technical knockout via corner stoppage after round two. Early UFC wins over Jarred Brooks, Joseph Morales, and John Moraga further cemented his status as a rising Flyweight contender and set the stage for his first UFC title opportunity.
UFC Flyweight Run (2017-2023)
Figueiredo’s UFC Flyweight career gained momentum with a hard-fought unanimous decision win over Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 240, a performance that earned him the Fight of the Night award. He followed that win with a first-round submission of Tim Elliott, which positioned him for a vacant title shot against Joseph Benavidez at UFC Fight Night 169 in February 2020, a bout he won by second-round TKO, though he was ineligible to claim the championship after missing weight.
He rematched Benavidez at UFC Fight Night 172 on July 19, 2020, capturing the vacant UFC Flyweight Championship by first-round technical submission after passing multiple COVID-19 tests in the lead-up to the bout, a win that also earned him a Performance of the Night bonus. Figueiredo then made his first title defense against Alex Perez at UFC 255, winning by guillotine choke in round one, before engaging in an instant classic with Brandon Moreno at UFC 256 that ended in a majority draw, the fastest championship turnaround in UFC history at 21 days, and a shared Fight of the Night award.
Figueiredo lost the Flyweight title to Moreno via rear-naked choke at UFC 263, then reclaimed it in a trilogy bout at UFC 270 with a unanimous decision win that earned him another Fight of the Night award. Their historic rivalry concluded at UFC 283 in January 2023, when Moreno reclaimed the belt by TKO after the ringside doctor stopped the fight due to Figueiredo’s swollen eye, ending his second Flyweight title reign.
UFC Bantamweight Era (2023-Present)
After moving up to the Bantamweight division in 2023, Figueiredo made his divisional debut on December 2, 2023, at UFC on ESPN 52, defeating Rob Font by unanimous decision. He followed that with a second-round rear-naked choke submission of former UFC Bantamweight Champion Cody Garbrandt at UFC 300 in April 2024, a marquee win that announced his arrival in the new weight class.
Figueiredo continued his climb with a unanimous decision victory over Marlon Vera at UFC on ABC 7 in August 2024, becoming the first fighter to score a recorded knockdown of Vera in the UFC. He then suffered a unanimous decision loss to former UFC Bantamweight Champion Petr Yan in the main event of UFC Fight Night 248 in November 2024, and later dropped a second-round TKO to Cory Sandhagen at UFC on ESPN 67 in May 2025 after suffering a knee injury. After bouncing back with a split decision win over Montel Jackson at UFC Fight Night 261 in October 2025, he dropped unanimous and guillotine choke decision losses to Umar Nurmagomedov and Song Yadong, the latter at UFC Fight Night 277 on May 30, 2026. As of June 2, 2026, Figueiredo is ranked number nine in the UFC Bantamweight rankings.
Style and Strengths
Figueiredo is known for his aggressive pressure, dangerous finishing instincts, and a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu that gives him elite submission threats on the ground. His combination of knockout power, sharp wrestling inherited from his luta marajoara roots, and opportunistic grappling has made him a problem for opponents in every phase of a fight. Training with high-level coaches and partners at Fight Ready, he continues to refine his strategy and conditioning for the demanding Bantamweight field.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among his signature achievements, Figueiredo captured the UFC Flyweight Championship twice, produced the fastest title turnaround in UFC history at UFC 256, and battled Brandon Moreno across four memorable bouts that defined an era of the 125-pound division. His historic rivalry with Moreno, including multiple Fight of the Night bonuses, is widely regarded as one of the greatest series in UFC Flyweight history.
Deiveson Figueiredo Career Wins
Across his professional career, Figueiredo has compiled an impressive record built on finishes and high-level performances in major promotions. His wins span regional circuits in Brazil, the Jungle Fight organization, and the UFC, where he has earned multiple post-fight bonuses and two Flyweight title reigns.
UFC Highlights
In the UFC, Figueiredo has recorded signature victories over Joseph Benavidez, Alex Perez, Alexandre Pantoja, Tim Elliott, Cody Garbrandt, Rob Font, and Montel Jackson, among others. His first UFC Flyweight title win came against Benavidez at UFC Fight Night 172, and he has earned multiple Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night awards throughout his UFC tenure.
Other Wins & Performances
Outside the UFC, Figueiredo built his early resume in the Pará and Maranhão regional circuits and with Jungle Fight, where he posted notable stoppage wins over Rayner Silva, Antônio de Miranda, and Denis Araujo Oliveira. He also competed in a submission grappling match against Raul Rosas Jr. at Hype FC Brazil: São Paulo on April 8, 2026, ending in a draw.
Deiveson Figueiredo Family
Family Background and Fighting Lineage
Figueiredo comes from a working-class family in Soure, Pará, where his father was a buffalo herder who also practiced the regional folk wrestling style known as luta marajoara. That wrestling tradition directly influenced Deiveson’s early development as a combat sports athlete and helped lay the foundation for his future in mixed martial arts. His brother, Francisco Figueiredo, is also a professional mixed martial artist who has been signed with the UFC, extending the family’s presence in the sport.
Personal Life
Before committing to MMA, Figueiredo held a variety of jobs, including work as a farmer, bricklayer, hairdresser, taxi driver, and sushi chef, a reflection of his humble upbringing in northern Brazil. He is a fan of the Brazilian football clubs Botafogo and Paysandu, and after a stint training at Team Alpha Male, he returned to Brazil and founded his own gym, Team Figueiredo, in Belém.
2025 Season Performance
Figueiredo’s 2025 campaign at Bantamweight was defined by a mix of setbacks and resilience inside the UFC cage. He opened the year with a tough second-round TKO loss to Cory Sandhagen at UFC on ESPN 67 on May 3, 2025, after suffering a knee injury that halted the bout, a result that briefly stalled his momentum in the division.
He rebounded later in the year with a hard-fought split decision win over Montel Jackson at UFC Fight Night 261 on October 11, 2025, a result that kept him inside the UFC Bantamweight rankings and demonstrated his ability to grind out victories against dangerous opponents. The win also allowed him to close the year on a positive note and maintain his position among the division’s top contenders.
Looking ahead from the close of 2025, Figueiredo remained focused on rebuilding momentum and pursuing another path toward title contention at Bantamweight, training out of Fight Ready and continuing to develop his craft against the division’s elite. His combination of championship experience, finishing ability, and veteran savvy keeps him firmly in the mix as a dangerous opponent for any top-ranked Bantamweight.
