Aljamain Sterling thinks Deiveson Figueiredo is being thrown to the wolves at UFC 324.
Figueiredo (25-5-1 MMA, 14-5-1 UFC) is a massive underdog against Umar Nurmagomedov (19-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) in Saturday’s featured prelim (Paramount+) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
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Since moving up to bantamweight, Figueiredo has mixed results. He started out 3-0 before losing two of his next three fights.
“No disrespect, but this is like a sacrificial lamb,” Sterling said of Figueiredo on his YouTube channel. “He had like one moment in that fight (vs. Yan), and I think he only had that moment because Yan was kind of like, ‘I can do whatever I want.’ Then he’s like, ‘OK, maybe I shouldn’t do whatever I want.’ I’m going with Umar. I think finish Round 2. I think submission. I’m going to say rear-naked choke Round 2.”
Sterling, who moved up a weight class himself after losing his bantamweight title, acknowledges that he faces much tougher matchups ahead. He sees the same for former two-time UFC flyweight champion Figueiredo.
“He’s just too small, man,” Sterling said of Figueiredo. “I’ve always said that about him. He’s tough, he’s got power, but he’s too small. … The writing is on the wall. Figgy, you are a flyweight. I know the weight cut sucks, but your probability of winning a belt again and staying at the top of the division is at flyweight. You can hang with some of the top dogs at ’35, but when you get to those bigger guys, it’s just going to be too hard. That’s just the reality.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 324: Deiveson Figueiredo ‘sacrificial lamb’ vs. Umar Nurmagomedov
