Deiveson Figueiredo wants flyweight return to fight champion Joshua Van

Deiveson Figueiredo wants to go back down to flyweight, and he has a specific target in mind. The Brazilian says he has asked the UFC to book him against flyweight champion Joshua Van and is willing to drop to 125 pounds for the fight. "I go out there and knock him out," Figueiredo said of the matchup.

A move back would mark his first appearance at flyweight in almost four years, in the division where he twice held UFC gold. Before any of that, he has a fight to win. Figueiredo meets Payton Talbott on the main card of UFC 332 in Salt Lake City on October 3, hoping to snap a two-fight skid.

Figueiredo, 38, holds a record of 25-6-1 and is currently ranked ninth at bantamweight. "Deus da Guerra" fights out of Team Figueiredo and is known for his grappling: he averages 1.61 takedowns and 1.2 submission attempts per 15 minutes, well above his striking output of 2.63 significant strikes landed per minute at 53 percent accuracy.

Van, 24, is the reigning flyweight champion and carries an 18-2-0 record. The Myanmar native trains at 4oz. Fight Club and fights from an orthodox stance. He is a high-volume striker, landing 8.26 significant strikes per minute at 57 percent accuracy. At five-foot-five with a 65-inch reach, he is the same height as Figueiredo but gives up eight inches of reach to the Brazilian, who reaches 68 inches.

Talbott, 28, is 11-1-0 and ranked 11th at bantamweight. The American from Reno Academy of Combat is a switch-stance fighter who lands 6.05 significant strikes per minute at 54 percent accuracy. He stands five-foot-ten with a 70-inch reach.

Why it matters

• Figueiredo's flyweight ambitions depend on the Talbott fight, since a third straight loss would complicate any title pitch.
• A return would pit a veteran grappler against a young, volume-striking champion.
• The matchup would be a stylistic contrast, with Figueiredo's takedown and submission numbers facing Van's output on the feet.