Nurmagomedov And Figueiredo Collide In High-Stakes UFC 324 Bout

The bright lights of Las Vegas set the stage for a high-stakes bantamweight showdown as Umar Nurmagomedov and Deiveson Figueiredo clashed at UFC 324 on January 24, 2026. For fight fans, this was a matchup packed with intrigue: a surging Russian grappler, rebounding from his first professional setback, versus a battle-tested Brazilian legend eager to prove he still belonged among the sport’s elite. With the T-Mobile Arena buzzing, all eyes turned to see whether Nurmagomedov’s relentless control or Figueiredo’s finishing instincts would prevail.

Umar Nurmagomedov, now 30 years old and boasting a 19-1 professional record, entered the octagon as a massive -1450 favorite according to DraftKings Sportsbook. The cousin of UFC icon Khabib Nurmagomedov, Umar had bulldozed his way through the bantamweight division since debuting in 2021. His only blemish? A hard-fought loss to reigning champion Merab Dvalishvili—a defeat he quickly put behind him with a dominant decision win over Mario Bautista in October 2025. In that comeback, Nurmagomedov landed 11 of 14 takedown attempts and amassed an eye-popping 10 minutes of control time, once again showcasing the suffocating grappling that’s become his trademark.

On the other side of the cage stood Deiveson "Deus da Guerra" Figueiredo, a 38-year-old former UFC flyweight champion with a 25-5-1 record. Figueiredo’s journey to bantamweight had been marked by both triumph and adversity. Since moving up to 135 pounds, he’d racked up four wins in six outings, dispatching names like Rob Font, Cody Garbrandt, and Marlon Vera. But the Brazilian’s quest for another title shot repeatedly hit roadblocks against the division’s best—most notably a unanimous decision loss to Petr Yan in November 2024 that snapped a three-fight winning streak.

Despite his experience and championship pedigree, Figueiredo entered UFC 324 as a massive underdog, with betting odds peaking at +1000 in some markets. The size of that gap only fueled his motivation. "I want to fight, I want to win, and I want the opportunity to fight for the belt," Figueiredo told MMA Fighting ahead of the bout. He made his intentions clear: "If he gives me the opening, I want to submit him. Umar is a guy who fights in a very slow, grinding way, always taking people down, and he’s going to fight someone who doesn’t fight like that. I’m a guy who comes forward, I fight intelligently, but I aim to win decisively, by submission or by knockout. That would definitely earn me a title shot."

The stakes were clear for both men. For Nurmagomedov, victory meant reasserting himself as the division’s top contender and edging closer to another shot at the bantamweight crown. For Figueiredo, it was a chance to defy the odds, silence the doubters, and put his name back in the title conversation—possibly setting up a rematch with Yan or a crack at Dvalishvili, depending on how the title picture shakes out.

But the drama didn’t stop at the fighters’ records or ambitions. On Friday’s weigh-ins, Figueiredo missed weight by 2.5 pounds, tipping the scales above the 136-pound bantamweight allowance. The result: a 20 percent fine from his fight purse, but the show went on. For some, the weight miss was a red flag—a sign that the former flyweight king was struggling to adapt to his new division. For others, it was just another twist in the story of a fighter who’s made a career out of overcoming adversity.

The tale of the tape painted a picture of contrasts. Nurmagomedov, standing 5'8" with a 69-inch reach, had youth and size on his side, not to mention a dominant control grappling style that saw him average over five takedown attempts per five minutes in the cage. His control rate? An astounding 93 percent, making him a nightmare for anyone hoping to keep the fight standing. Figueiredo, three inches shorter with a one-inch reach disadvantage, relied on his guillotine submission threat and a career built on both knockouts (nine) and submissions (nine). Yet, his takedown defense sat at a subpar 57 percent—an ominous stat against a relentless wrestler like Nurmagomedov.

Statistically, the matchup seemed to favor the Russian. Nurmagomedov landed 4.08 significant strikes per minute at a 57 percent accuracy clip, while absorbing just 2.04 strikes per minute. Figueiredo, by contrast, landed 2.75 strikes per minute and absorbed 3.54, with slightly lower accuracy and defensive numbers. The odds-makers and analysts were nearly unanimous: Nurmagomedov was expected to control the pace, grind out takedowns, and likely win a decision. As one betting preview put it, "For all his dominance, Nurmagomedov isn’t known for hunting finishes. Rather, he prefers to smother his opponents and rack up control time. Expect him to execute the same tried and true strategy and beat Figueiredo on the judges’ scorecards."

Yet, Figueiredo was undeterred. After his October 2025 win over Montel Jackson, he relocated his training camp to Natal, working under wrestling coach Lenny Lovato and alongside the famed Pitbull Brothers. Reflecting on his preparation, Figueiredo said, "Every day you go to the gym and you face guys at the beginning of camp and they’re hitting you, hitting you. There comes a point when they can’t beat you anymore and you realize how much you’ve evolved over the camp. And that happens to me a lot." He openly admitted that his previous camp for the Yan fight hadn’t been ideal, relying too much on sparring with his own students in Belém. Determined to avoid the same mistake, he sought out tougher training partners and a more competitive environment for UFC 324.

As the fighters made their walk to the octagon, anticipation in the arena reached a fever pitch. Could Nurmagomedov’s youth, size, and wrestling dominance neutralize the Brazilian’s finishing instincts? Or would Figueiredo’s experience and submission savvy spring a stunning upset? The oddsmakers, analysts, and most fans leaned heavily toward the Russian, projecting a 65 percent chance the fight would go to a decision and giving Nurmagomedov an 87 percent likelihood of victory. Still, in MMA, one mistake can flip the script in an instant.

With the bantamweight title picture still in flux—Petr Yan holding the belt, Merab Dvalishvili potentially angling for a rematch, and Figueiredo hungry for another shot—UFC 324’s co-main event carried major implications. For Nurmagomedov, it was a chance to remind the world why his name is spoken with reverence in MMA circles. For Figueiredo, it was a last stand, a bid to prove that even as a heavy underdog, he could still shake up the division.

As of press time, the bout had yet to conclude, with both fighters still vying for dominance in the cage. Whether Nurmagomedov’s grinding style or Figueiredo’s never-say-die attitude will carry the night remains to be seen, but one thing’s certain: the UFC bantamweight division just got a whole lot more interesting.