Brandon Moreno betrayed Henry Cejudo, and Deiveson Figueiredo intends to get vengeance on him.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

We recently saw a thrilling conclusion to Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder's three-fight heavyweight trilogy, all of which were visually stunning. Boxing fans aren't used to seeing trilogy fights, but MMA fans have it a little easier. Flyweights Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno are in the middle of their own historic trilogy.

The first bout between the two, in December of 2020, was declared a draw by the judges due mainly to unintentional fouls committed by the champion Figueiredo against Moreno. After losing the first fight, many people predicted that Moreno would win the rematch, but instead, "The Assassin Baby" came back to defeat Figueiredo in the third round with a rear naked choke. There will be one more battle between the two at UFC 270 on January 22nd, 2022, and this one will have an added layer of intrigue.

Henry Cejudo, Figueiredo's trainer for this fight, used to train with Brandon Moreno until Brandon allegedly 'betrayed' him.

Cejudo informed me about Brandon Moreno when I got here, and I'm glad he did," Figueiredo told MMA Junkie. "Moreno stayed at Cejudo's home for two years before moving on to assist [Joseph] Benavidez fight Cejudo in another camp. He was a traitor to Cejudo's cause. Because in our sport, you can't be a traitor, I'm going to be delighted to take Moreno's head and give it to Cejudo."

Cejudo's coach Eric Albarracin, who also trains Paulo Costa, Chan Sung Jung, and Patricio Freire, will also work with Deiveson.

Figueiredo said that he came to the gym to get away from the distractions of home. Eric [Albarracin] created the champion out of Cejudo, and that's why I wanted to be with them. "Lions accompany lions on their walks."

Deiveson With Cejudo and Albarracin, Figueiredo is already a dangerous flyweight. It will be interesting to watch how he develops in Arizona. He'll have to step it up a notch since Moreno showed improvement in their last meeting. There will be pyrotechnics in the third battle, and if vengeance is necessary to raise the stakes even more, we'll be there.