UFC fighter Deiveson Figueiredo suffered a significant knee injury during his recent bout against Cory Sandhagen at UFC Des Moines. However, the former two-time flyweight champion has received good news: the damage will not necessitate surgery.
According to his manager, Alex Davis, Figueiredo was diagnosed with a tear in the anterolateral ligament of his knee. Fortunately, the injury is not severe enough to require an operation. Instead, his recovery plan involves rest and physical therapy, which he has already commenced.
The incident occurred in the second round. While engaged in a grappling exchange, Sandhagen adjusted his position, causing their legs to tangle. Figueiredo immediately reacted in pain from his knee and subsequently tapped out, leading to a TKO victory for Sandhagen due to the injury.
Davis described the injury as “very painful.” He clarified that Figueiredo was not finished by his opponent`s offense but rather it was “just a freak accident.”
Replays of the fight showed a visible strain or potential “pop” in Figueiredo`s knee during the exchange, and his immediate expression confirmed the severity of the pain. He required assistance to leave the octagon and returned home to Brazil to seek detailed medical evaluation and treatment.
Following the diagnosis that ruled out surgery, Figueiredo is reportedly “already asking to fight again” and is highly motivated to return to training as soon as his knee permits.
This injury marked an unfortunate conclusion to the fight, especially as Figueiredo was aiming to get back on track. The loss to Sandhagen is his second consecutive defeat after achieving three impressive victories upon moving up from the flyweight division to bantamweight.
While there is no precise timeframe for his next fight booking, Davis indicated that Figueiredo is anxious to resume competing once his knee is fully healed and expects him to be ready to perform at a high level upon his return.
