Former UFC champion Deiveson Figueiredo is now officially out of his scheduled flyweight contender bout against Manel Kape at UFC 290 on July 8 in Las Vegas, UFC president Dana White said Saturday at a news conference after UFC Charlotte.
Figueiredo had told MMA Fighting last month that the bout was off due to an ongoing eye injury, but sources told ESPN at the time that the cancellation was not official and the fight could still happen. That was the UFC's understanding, as well. But sources confirmed with ESPN on Saturday that Figueiredo is out of the bout and now he will be moving up to the bantamweight division.
"Who the hell knows?" White said. "This is the nutty s--- we deal with on a daily basis around here."
Figueiredo is still dealing with a broken orbital sustained in his title loss to Brandon Moreno at UFC 283 in January. It's unclear if Kape will remain on the UFC 290 card.
Figueiredo (21-3-1) is a two-time former UFC flyweight champion. The Brazil native fought four times with Moreno, with Moreno getting the better of him 2-1-1. Figueiredo, 35, is tied for the most finishes in UFC flyweight history (7) with former longtime champ Demetrious Johnson.
Kape (18-6) has won three straight and was looking to break into a top contender conversation against Figueiredo. The 29-year-old Angolan-born fighter is the former Rizin bantamweight champion.