Mastering Minutiae

Francisco Figueiredo believes he has mastered the weight cut to 125 pounds and can now focus fully on moving forward in a re-energized Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight division.

The “Sniper” will take the next step in his journey when he toes the line against Daniel Lacerda in the featured UFC on ESPN 35 prelim this Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Figueiredo, 32, sounds like a man who has finally grown comfortable in his own skin, enough so that he can center his efforts on improving his skills as a mixed martial artist.

“By the time I debuted in the UFC, I already had sufficient experience, [so] I was ready,” he told Sherdog.com. “The biggest challenge was the weight. I was used to fighting at bantamweight. It was tough to cut down to flyweight. That was the hardest part. I didn’t feel any more pressure beyond that, but now I’m much more used to it. I keep my walk-around weight at about 144 pounds now, so it’s not as difficult.”

Despite his renewed optimism, Figueiredo finds himself on the rebound following a disappointing unanimous decision defeat to Malcolm Gordon at UFC on ESPN 26 in July. Gordon outstruck the Brazilian by nearly a 2-to-1 margin, completed two of the 11 takedowns he attempted and turned them into more than six minutes of control time. However, Figueiredo has never suffered back-to-back defeats as a professional, and he has the added benefit of training with the reigning UFC flyweight champion—older brother Deiveson Figueiredo—on a daily basis.

“The biggest difference was the improved training methods that my brother brought back from overseas,” the younger Figueiredo said. “Now we’re training specifically for my next opponent. We’re doing everything right. My coaches and I are studying my opponent, and my sparring partners are simulating his style. I’m confident we’ll be victorious. I’m doing my entire camp at Team Figueiredo. I’m working on my jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, wrestling and boxing.”

Lacerda figures to be a formidable challenge. The ATS Team representative has rattled off three wins across his past four appearances but succumbed to second-round elbows and punches from Jeff Molina in his Oct. 23 promotional debut at UFC Fight Night 196. Lacerda has delivered all 11 of his victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission, 10 of them inside one round. Figueiredo knows he has his hands full.

“Daniel is someone I’ve been studying,” he said. “He’s very complete. I don’t see too many holes in his game. Everything is in place for an epic fight. We’ll have a striking and jiu-jitsu war. I’m ready for anything.”