Two-Time UFC Champion Targets Joshua Van Title Fight After UFC 332
Arguably the biggest name competing on this Saturday's UFC 332 card already has an ambitious idea in mind for his next fight.
Set to take place at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, UT, UFC 332 is headlined by a fight for the vacant women's flyweight belt featuring top contenders Natlia Silva and Cong Wang.
The original plan was to have Valentina Shevchenko headline the event in a potentially record-setting title defense against Silva, but an injury unfortunately sidelined "Bullet" for an extended period and encouraged her to vacate the flyweight belt.
Payton Talbott Faces Deiveson Figueiredo in UFC 332 Co-Main Event
Outside of the headlining title fight, UFC 332 also features a pivotal bantamweight co-main event that will see Payton Talbott take on former UFC titleholder Deiveson Figueiredo.
A two-time UFC flyweight champion, Figueiredo made the move up to the bantamweight division in late 2023 and initially went 3-0 to kick off his time in the weight class.
That promising win streak was snapped by current UFC Bantamweight Champion Petr Yan in November of 2024, and "Deus da Guerra" now finds himself on a 1-4 run that includes back-to-back losses to Umar Nurmagomedov and Song Yadong in his two most recent outings.
Deiveson Figueiredo Targets UFC Flyweight Champion Joshua Van
Figueiredo will try to get back into the win column at UFC 332 when he takes on Talbott, but surprisingly the 38-year-old apparently has his sights set on a move back down to flyweight for a potential showdown with the division's titleholder Joshua Van.
"I've been asking the UFC and telling them 'I will make that weight very easy'", Figueiredo said during UFC 332 media day. "I've been asking them to say 'Just make that fight, I want that opportunity.' And let's see if his boxing is as good as mine...It needs to happen. The UFC gives me an opportunity, I go out there and knock him out."
Van was just in action last month at UFC 331, where he defended his flyweight belt for the second time with a unanimous decision over Alexandre Pantoja after "The Fearless" previously won the belt at UFC 328 when the Brazilian injured his arm just 26 seconds into the fight.
Payton Talbot Could Shut Down Deiveson Figueiredo's UFC Title Plans This Weekend
The win over Pantoja solidified Van's place as one of the pound-for-pound best fighters on the UFC roster, and it appears that the 24-year-old is interested in defending his belt against top-ranked contender Manel Kape his next time out.
Aside from no longer fighting at flyweight and the fact that Kape looks to be next in line for a title shot, Figueiredo's plan to become a three-time UFC flyweight champion also likely requires him to snap his current two-fight skid when he takes on Talbott on Saturday.
After suffering an upset-loss at the hands of Raoni Barcelos to open last year, Talbott is currently on a two-fight win streak and most recently defeated future UFC Hall of Famer Henry Cejudo in what turned out to be the latter fighter's retirement fight at UFC 323.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/fannation/mma as Two-Time UFC Champion Targets Joshua Van Title Fight After UFC 332.