UFC 263: Figueiredo vs. Moreno betting odds, preview, and pick

A rematch of one of the best fights of 2020 serves as the co-feature to UFC 263 on Saturday, June 12, as Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno face off yet again. We have the betting odds and preview you need before they renew their hostilities.

Figueiredo has benefitted from a break

The going thought ahead of this rematch is that Figueiredo has benefitted most from some time off after a grueling 2020.

At flyweight, Figueiredo has shown that he can do it all. He’s tremendously strong and can end fights with strikes or submissions, plus his size alone makes him a nightmare as long as he can make weight.

Moreno is deadly on the ground

Moreno managed to survive the champ’s heavy blows and managed to get the better of him on the ground, which will no doubt be his strategy in the rematch. Ten of his 18 wins have come by submission, and he has shown excellent durability, even in his defeats.

Though he managed to create enough doubt in the first fight which resulted in a draw, he’s going to have to go blow-for-blow with Figueiredo again if he hopes to take him down. If he builds on his success from the first fight, we may have a new champion by fight’s end.

A sharper, fresher Figueiredo will dominate the action

While Moreno certainly made a great account of himself in the first fight, the absence of Figueiredo’s fatigue will be the difference maker here. With fresher legs and a second look at Moreno, Figueiredo knows exactly what to expect on the ground and will be more explosive in the stand-up. Because of Moreno’s otherworldly chin, the risk of a submission is ever present, but Figueiredo should be able to better defend against Moreno’s ground game.

These two fighters complement each other nicely. Moreno’s durability and guts along with Figueiredo’s intensity should see them engaging in another memorable clash. However, things will start to look a lot different in the early rounds, where we’ll really see the pronounced size advantage Figueiredo carries.

Expect Figueiredo to walk Moreno down from the very beginning, bullying him against the cage and hitting him every chance he gets. By the time Moreno has any success, he’ll be too beaten up to pin Figueiredo down like he did last time, and time won’t be on his side. Figueiredo will become the first man to stop Moreno, and he’ll do it in the fourth.

UFC 263 pick: Figueiredo