When you have the heavyweight belt on the line, a champion versus an interim champion and a quality story all wrapped up into one main event, it can become very easy for UFC 270’s co-main event to be forgotten.
Dana White isn’t surprised that the event is being overshadowed, due to the magnitude of Francis Ngannou vs Ciryl Gane.
“It’s hard to not overshadow a card when you have two of the best heavyweights in the world fighting and all the drama and storyline that goes with this thing,” said White while speaking to ESPN MMA.
“It’s impossible, it’s all about that fight.”
While the main event might be the big showing, White said of the co-main, “It should be an absolutely bad fight.”
White’s praise for the co-main came, in part, from the rising star and champ, that is Brandon Moreno.
“Moreno, that kid has actually become a big star for us. You’re going to see it on Saturday night when he walks into the octagon. “We’ve had athlete signings and it’s insane how many people show up for him for an athlete signing.”
While the UFC’s first Mexican-born champ is a big draw, White also has massive respect for a competitor that he believes will be taking the bout very seriously, in Deiveson Figueiredo.
“Figueiredo is in nasty shape, I saw pictures of him the other day. He was ripped to shreds way before the weight cut, which tells you he took this fight very seriously. He’s come in and he means business.
“Figueiredo is an absolute savage. I mean this guy comes in with bad intentions and wants to take you out and I don’t know if he didn’t take Moreno serious or didn’t think that this guy had any chance to win but that’s not the case going into this one.
“You see Figueiredo, reinvigorated, taking this serious, in ridiculous shape. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a guy that ripped.”
Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo are set to fight on Saturday night with the main card beginning at 3 am.
Check it out:
Trading shots like Panini cards 🤜🤛
[ #UFC270 | Main Card LIVE on E+ PPV: https://t.co/Nr2IHwgXWX ] pic.twitter.com/Jq5jD003p7
— UFC (@ufc) January 23, 2022
THE GOD OF WAR RECAPTURES THE BELT 🏆
[ @Daico_Deiveson | #UFC270 ] pic.twitter.com/rQcjcNNAGv
— UFC (@ufc) January 23, 2022