Former two-time flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo sustained a significant knee injury during his bout against Cory Sandhagen at UFC Des Moines. However, the good news is that he will not need surgery to fix the damage sustained.
According to his manager, Alex Davis, Figueiredo suffered a tear in the anterolateral ligament of his knee. Fortunately for the fighter, the injury is not severe enough to necessitate surgery. Instead, his recovery plan involves physical therapy, which he has already begun, combined with rest for the injured knee.
The injury happened in the second round during a grappling exchange. As Sandhagen sat up and moved forward, their legs became tangled. Figueiredo immediately reacted with pain in his knee, and moments later, he tapped out. The fight was stopped, resulting in a TKO victory for Sandhagen due to the injury.
Davis described the injury as “very painful.” He added, “But he did not get finished [in the traditional sense]. It was just a freak accident.”
Replays of the incident appeared to show Figueiredo`s knee `pop` during the grappling exchange. His visible pain was clear. Following the stoppage, Figueiredo was helped out of the octagon and later returned to Brazil to seek medical treatment.
Now that surgery is off the table, Figueiredo is reportedly “already asking to fight again.” He is hopeful that he can return to training in the gym sooner than initially expected.
This was an unfortunate conclusion to the fight, especially as Figueiredo was looking to bounce back when he faced Sandhagen during the UFC`s event in Iowa. The loss marked his second consecutive defeat, following a series of three impressive wins after his move up from flyweight to the bantamweight division.
While there is no definitive timeline for his next fight booking, manager Davis stated that Figueiredo is eager to resume competing once his knee fully heals and anticipates a quick return to form.
