White Says Figgy Fight On, Figgy Camp Says No

Fake news? It’s a question that has been on the minds of fight fans around the world ever since Dana White dropped a major announcement earlier this week, revealing the finalized main card for UFC 290 PPV event in Las Vegas, Nevada. One of those fights was to see former 125 pound champion Deiveson Figueiredo take on No 9 ranked Manel Kape – which according to reports is not happening.

MMA Fighting Reporter Guilherme Cruz took to Twitter to confirm with Figueiredo about his status for the fight and reported “Like Figueiredo told me last week he’s not cleared by the doctors at the moment.”

Figueiredo had teased a jump up to bantamweight following his loss against Brandon Moreno earlier this year in Brazil, however it looks like his new management has convinced him to stay put at 125 pounds – at least for now.

As for Kape, he managed shake off two early losses when he joined UFC and went on an impressive three fight win streak including victory over David Dvorak late last year.

No word yet from UFC as what they plan do with Kape in terms or replacing him with another opponent but one is likely presumed be found soon enough.

The anticipation for the event is still strong and most certainly will be as it draws closer. Fans had been hoping for a title fight between newly crowned flyweight champion Joseph Benavidez and Figueiredo but with Figgy’s injury, that all looks to have gone out the window.

Another closely watched bout was supposed to involve former bantamweight champions Dominick Cruz versus Cody Garbrandt. This too has been cancelled however – Cruz who hasn’t fought since UFC 207 in 2016 due to a knee injury just announced his retirement on August 4th this year.

In light of these recent cancellations, fans are left with only two championship fights on the main card which consists of lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Tony Ferguson and welterweight champion Kamaru Usman taking on Jorge Masvidal.

“I’m excited about my upcoming fight at UFC 290,” said Ferguson. “This one has been talked about for a long time now so I’m glad we can finally get down to business.”

“The Card is stacked,” added Usman whose last outing saw him finish Gilbert Burns in July this year. “Garbrandt vs Hurtado, Holloway vs Kattar, Adesanya vs Costa; there’s something here for everyone.”

“It promises be an exciting night!” exclaimed Dana White regarding the finalized lineup – making sure he mentioned that tickets would soon go sale.

“We’re going have some great fights coming up so I hope people come out and enjoy it with us!”

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So there you have it folks! The full card for UFC 290 PPV event has been revealed – and while injuries may have taken their toll on certain matchups, Fight fans are assured they won’t be disappointed when they see what else lies ahead at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.