Deiveson Figueiredo does not know the full extent of his knee injury until he receives an MRI following a disappointing end to his main event battle with Cory Sandhagen at UFC Des Moines.
Figure Aid manager Alex Davis told MMA Fighting on Sunday that the former two-time UFC flyweight champion remains “good” in hopes that his injuries will not be that serious.
No decisions have been made yet, but Figueiredo can potentially overlap a tense knee.
The injury occurred in the second round when the bantamweight was fighting for his position on the ground and Sandhagen sat down, which ran through Figueid’s knee, and he was quickly kicked out of considerable pain. Sandhagen later explained that it was a position to train a lot along with his grappling coach Ryan Hall, and it’s not uncommon for fighters to suffer knee injuries in that situation.
It was obviously what happened to Figuide, and he was able to see a doctor to go behind the scenes before he was eventually saved by the octagon.
Shortly after the fight ended, Figure Aid released a brief statement about his losses on social media.
“The outcome is not necessarily what we want, but the fight continues,” Figueiredo wrote on Instagram (via translation). “I would like to thank my team and everyone for all my heart for my support, support and trusting with my family, my team, and for all of you.
“We’re coming back strongly. I’m a warrior and this is another chapter in my story!”
This set-off will serve as Figueiredo’s second consecutive loss overall after making a decision this November in a five-round war with former champion Petr Yang.
Before the back-to-back loss, Figure Aid had broken through the bantamweight division with three consecutive victories, including former champion Codiger Blunt and one-time title challenger Marlon Bella.
When Figueiredo returns to Brazil, he is expected to meet with the doctor in the next few days and have an MRI.