UFC 265: Figueiredo vs Moreno Predictions, Odds & Picks

• Flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo defends his title just 21 days removed from his last bout in the main event of UFC 256 against Brandon Moreno
• Fan-favorite lightweight Tony Ferguson returns to the octagon for the first time since having his 12-fight win streak snapped by Justin Gaethje. He takes on Charles Oliveira in the co-main event
• Middleweights Kevin Holland and Ronaldo Souza face each other on just two-weeks notice after both men had last-minute changes to their opponent

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UFC 256: Figueiredo vs Moreno – Picks & Predictions

(C) Deiveson Figueiredo vs Brandon Moreno – Flyweight Championship

Deiveson Figueiredo (-335)

Tony Ferguson vs Charles Oliveira – Lightweight Division

Charles Oliveira (+138)

Renato Carneiro vs Rafael Fiziev – Lightweight Division

Renato Carneiro (+120)

Kevin Holland vs Ronaldo Souza – Middleweight Division

Kevin Holland (-124)

Junior dos Santos vs Cyril Gane – Heavyweight Division

Cyril Gane (-400)

How to Watch UFC 256: Figueiredo vs Moreno

(C) Deiveson Figueiredo vs Brandon Moreno – Flyweight Championship

Deiveson “Daico” Figueiredo (20-1)

It feels like we were here only 21 days ago writing about Deiveson Figueiredo defending his flyweight title – and that’s because we were. Figueiredo is on the cusp of setting a record as the champion with the fastest turnaround between title defenses: 21 days. This will be his second UFC pay-per-view main event in a row.

Since a March 2019 loss to Jussier Formiga (the only loss of his career), Figueiredo went on to win three straight before winning the vacant flyweight title this past July. He most recently had his first title defense, defeating Alex Perez at UFC 255 via first-round submission.

The flyweight champion is 32-years-old, standing at 5 ft. 5 in. tall, and has a reach of 68 inches. The Brazilian fighter is known for his striking and powerful and holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He trains out of his own gym, Team Figueiredo. Fighting since 2012, he ranks as the 11th-best pound-for-pound men’s fighter in the UFC.

Brandon “The Assassin Baby” Moreno (18-5-1)

Deiveson Figueiredo isn’t the only one making a 21-day turnaround. Brandon Moreno fought on the same UFC 255 card and actually called out the champion in his post-fight interview. He got his wish.

Moreno is on a four-fight winning streak (with one draw mixed in). His streak includes wins over Kai Kara-France and the man who beat Figueiredo: Jussier Formiga. Most recently, at UFC 255, Moreno fought Brandon Royval and defeated him via first-round TKO.

Moreno, 27, stands two inches taller than the champion and will also have a two-inch reach advantage this Saturday night. Born in California, Moreno trains out of Mexico with the Entram Gym. He has been fighting since 2011 and holds a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Raul Arvizu. He is currently ranked as the number-one contender in the UFC flyweight division.

Tony Ferguson vs Charles Oliveira – Lightweight Division

Tony “El Cucuy” Ferguson (25-4)

Tony Ferguson has made a big name for himself in the world of MMA, earning himself a reputation as one of the best, most durable, most entertaining fighters in the UFC. After a 2012 loss to Michael Johnson, Ferguson went on to win 12 fights in a row, going undefeated for nearly eight years. During that time, Ferguson earned nine finishes, nine post-fight bonuses, and an interim lightweight championship. He also defeated UFC stars such as Donald Cerrone, Anthony Pettis, Rafael dos Anjos, and Edson Barboza.

However, in Ferguson’s most recent outage, he faced Justin Gaethje in the main event of UFC 249 for another interim lightweight championship – with the winner moving on to face undisputed champ Khabib Nurmagomedov. In what was undoubtedly the fight of the night, Gaethje would snap Ferguson’s incredible streak with a fifth-round TKO. Ferguson hopes to start a new winning streak this Saturday night.

The 36-year-old fighter stands at an even 6 ft. tall and has a reach of 76.5 inches. The entertaining, outspoken, and unorthodox fighter trains at his own gym under coaches Rashad Holloway, Billy Fonua, and Eddie Bravo. Boasting NCWA wrestling credentials, Ferguson also holds a black belt in 10th Planet jiu-jitsu under Bravo. Fighting since 2008, Ferguson is a former Ultimate Fighter winner and is currently ranked as the third-best UFc lightweight and the 14th-best pound-for-pound men’s fighter.

Charles “Do Bronx” Oliveira (29-8, 1 no-contest)

With huge names such as Khabib, Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and – yes – Tony Ferguson on the roster, Charles Oliveira has been quietly flying under the radar of the lightweight division. He currently finds himself on a seven-fight winning streak and the holder of several UFC records. With wins over the likes of Jim Miller and Nik Lentz, Oliveira most recently submitted Kevin Lee this past March.

Oliveira holds the UFC record for most submission victories in the promotion, the most performance of the night bonuses, and is tied with Donald Cerrone for the most finishes in UFC history. He also holds the highest finishes-per-win percentage with a 93.75-percent finish rate.

“Do Bronx” stands two-inches shorter than Ferguson and will be at a 1.5-inch reach disadvantage Saturday night. He is five years younger than his opponent. The Brazilian fighter trains out of his home country with Chute Boxe Diego Lima. Fighting since 2008, he holds a third-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Ericson Cardoso and Jorge Patino. At the time of writing, Oliveria currently ranks as the 7th-best lightweight in the promotion.

Renato Carneiro vs Rafael Fiziev – Lightweight Division

Renato “Moicano” Carneiro (14-3-1)

Renato “Moicano” joined the UFC in 2014 and has since gone 6-3 for the promotion. He has struggled over his past few fights, losing back-to-back bouts against Jose Aldo and the Korean Zombie – both via TKO. Fortunately for Renato, he bounced back with a first-round submission win over Damir Hadzovic in what was his lightweight debut this past March.

“Moicano”, 31, stands at 5 ft. 11 in. and has a reach of 72 inches. The Brazilian-born fighter currently trains out of Florida with American Top Team. Fighting since 2010, he holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Alex Leleco as well as a black belt in muay thai. He is a former interim Jungle Fight featherweight champion.

Rafael “Ataman” Fiziev (8-1)

After suffering his first career loss while debuting for the UFC, Rafael Fiziev has gone on to win his next two fights in a row. He first beat Alex White via unanimous decision. Most recently, Fiziev won a unanimous decision over Marc Diakiese this past July in what was deemed the Fight of the Night.

Originally slated to face “Moicano” on November 28 (Renato has to pull out due to a positive test for COVID-19), Fiziev stated that it was a blessing as it gave him more time to attain his visa and adjust to the new time zone.

At just 27-years-old, the Kyrgyzstani fighter will stand three-inches shorter than his opponent and will be at a one-inch reach disadvantage. A former kickboxer with a professional record of 39-8, Fiziev trains with the Phuket Top Team and holds a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Stuart Cooper. He has been fighting professionally since 2015.

Kevin Holland vs Ronaldo Souza – Middleweight Division

Kevin “Trail Blazer” Holland (20-5)

Kevin Holland is a rising star on the cusp of breaking into the top-15 of the UFC’s middleweight division. After a loss to Brendan Allen last October, Holland has gone on to win four straight, three of which came via TKO. He most recently earned a TKO victory over Charlie Ontiveros in the first round of the UFC Fight Night card on Halloween. The win earned him a performance of the night bonus.

Holland has been shuffled around a bit over the past couple of weeks. After his win on Halloween night, He agreed to replace the injured Darren Till to take on Jack Hermansson just this past week. However, Holland tested positive for COVID-19 and was pulled from the card. The UFC replaced him with Marvin Vettori – the man originally set to face Souza on this card – and now here we are.

Holland, 28, stands at 6 ft. 3 in. tall and has a reach of 81 inches. He fights out of Texas with Phalanx MMA Academy and Travis Lutter BJJ. He holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Travis Lutter and also holds a second-degree black belt in kung-fu. He has been fighting professionally since 2015.

Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza (26-8, 1 no-contest)

As mentioned earlier, Ronaldo Souza was originally slated to face Marvin Vettori this Saturday night but now finds himself with a last-minute opponent switch.

The MMA legend has been going through a rough patch of his career lately, trading wins with losses, and currently finds himself amidst a two-fight skid. After an impressive KO win over Chris Weidman, Souza suffered a unanimous decision loss to Jack Hermansson (which also happened to be a last-minute replacement opponent). He most recently made his debut as a light heavyweight, taking on the now-current champion Jan Blachowicz. He lost the bout via split-decision last November.

The 41-year-old Brazilian stands two-inches shorter than Holland and he will be at an astounding nine-inch reach disadvantage. Known for his grappling prowess, Souza holds a fourth-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He also holds a black belt in judo under Henrique Machado. Fighting since 2003, Souza currently trains with Fusion X-Cel Performance. He is the former Strikeforce middleweight champion.

Junior dos Santos vs Cyril Gane – Heavyweight Division

Junior “Cigano” dos Santos (21-8)

Junior dos Santos, the former heavyweight champion of the UFC, has been having a rough go of things within the octagon recently. Since losing his title, dos Santos had a stretch that saw him go 3-3. However, following his loss to the current champion, Stipe Miocic, dos Santos went on a three-fight winning stretch over the likes of Blagoy Ivanov, Tai Tuivasa, and Derrick Lewis, the latter of which earned Fight of the Night honors.

Unfortunately, dos Santos was put up against Francis Ngannou, where he suffered a first-round TKO loss. Following that, dos Santos would drop two more fights via TKO – most recently against Jairzinho Rozenstruick at UFC 252 this past summer.

“Cigano”, now 36-years-old, stands at 6 ft. 4 in. and has a reach of 77 inches. It’s not often that he enters the cage as the smaller man, but that will be the case this Saturday night. The Brazilian fighter trains with American Top Team under coaches Luiz Dorea and Yuri Carlton. He holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Yuri Carlton. He has been fighting professionally since 2006 and is currently ranked as the number-seven heavyweight in the promotion.

Cyril “Bon Gamin” Gane (6-0)

Cyril Gane is relatively new to the MMA world, but he is so far undefeated and quite an imposing figure to stand across an octagon from. He debuted for the UFC last August, defeating Raphael Pessoa by first-round submission. He has since gone on to win two more for the promotion – one more by submission and the most recent via unanimous decision against Tanner Boser last December.

The 30-year-old French fighter stands one-inch taller than his opponent at 6 ft. 5 in. and will have a reach advantage of five-inches this Saturday night. A former (undefeated kickboxer), Gane is a former TKO Heavyweight champion. He currently trains at the MMA Factory under coach Fernand Lopez. Known predominantly for his muay thai striking, Gane cracks the top-15 heavyweights in the UFC as number fourteen.

Gane is the biggest betting favorite on the main card.