Deiveson Figueiredo made the most of his opportunity to open the show at UFC 300, becoming the first person to submit former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt.
It was a slow start for the Brazilian, who barely threw any significant strikes in the opening round but he came out aggressive in the second with a takedown that immediately put Garbrandt on the defensive. Figueiredo nearly locked up an arm triangle choke but Garbrandt eventually broke free.
He wasn’t as fortunate after Figueiredo took his back and immediately slipped his arm under the chin to secure the rear-naked choke submission. Garbrandt tapped out at 4:02 in the second round.
“I’m very happy today,” Figueiredo said afterwards. “I want my belt. I feel so good at this division. One shot at the belt, please? I want that $300K bonus, give me that bonus.”
There was a lot of respect shown between the fighters to start the fight but it was Garbrandt connecting with the better strikes early. Garbrandt stung Figueiredo with a couple of stiff shots including a slick left hook that appeared to briefly rattle the former flyweight.
Figueiredo came up short on a takedown attempt in the opening round but he didn’t fail in his next try, dragging Garbrandt to the canvas at the start of the second.
From there, Figueiredo displayed a dominant grappling game, advancing his position and forcing Garbrandt to move to survive. After coming up short on an arm-triangle choke attempt, Figueiredo made good with the rear-naked choke, forcing Garbrandt to tap for the first time in his career.
Now 2-0 as a bantamweight during his current run in the division, Figueiredo appears to be a player worth watching as he starts climbing up the ranks in his new division.