UFC 256: Figueiredo vs. Moreno 1 | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Tito Wordsmith
- 17 hours ago
- 7 min read
Introduction
UFC 256: Figueiredo vs. Moreno 1 took place on Saturday, December 12, 2020 at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas. It was the last numbered UFC pay-per-view of 2020, the closing chapter of the most logistically improbable year in promotion history, and the night Brandon Moreno announced himself as the most viable challenger Deiveson Figueiredo would ever face. The card produced an estimated 350,000 pay-per-view buys.
Figueiredo and Moreno fought five rounds that, by consensus, became one of the most compelling championship matches of the year. The judges returned a majority draw (47-47, 47-47, 48-47 Figueiredo) — a result that locked in the rematch and inaugurated what would become the longest title-fight quartet in flyweight history. The co-main saw Charles Oliveira hand Tony Ferguson his second consecutive loss after the UFC 249 Gaethje destruction — a unanimous-decision win that effectively launched Oliveira's run to the lightweight title vacated by Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Figueiredo's three-week turnaround from UFC 255 — a defense within 21 days of the previous one — was the fastest back-to-back championship turnaround for a UFC titleholder in the modern era. The fight cemented Moreno's status as the long-term challenger and set up the rematch that materialised at UFC 263 in June 2021.
Contents
• FAQ
Quick Stats
📅 Date: Saturday, December 12, 2020
📍 Venue: UFC APEX, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
👥 Attendance: 0 (closed-door, COVID-19 era)
💰 Gate: $0 (no live audience)
📺 PPV Buys: ~350,000
📡 Broadcast: Pay-per-view (ESPN+ in USA)
🏆 Main Event: Deiveson Figueiredo (c) vs. Brandon Moreno — UFC Flyweight Championship (125 lbs)
✅ Result: Majority Draw (47-47, 47-47, 48-47 Figueiredo)
🥇 Co-Main: Charles Oliveira def. Tony Ferguson via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26) — Lightweight
The Build-Up
Twenty-one days. That was the window between Deiveson Figueiredo's UFC 255 title defense against Alex Perez and his UFC 256 title defense against Brandon Moreno. Figueiredo had asked for it; the UFC had agreed; the Brazilian had used the time to recover from the Perez fight and re-cut weight. It was the fastest back-to-back championship turnaround for a UFC titleholder in the modern era — and one of the boldest scheduling decisions of 2020.
Brandon Moreno had earned the title shot via a four-fight UFC win streak that included finishes of Kai Kara-France and Brandon Royval and a unanimous-decision win over Jussier Formiga. He was 18-5-1 entering the fight, a 27-year-old Mexican fighter who had been cut from the UFC in 2018 and re-signed in 2019 — one of the rare comeback success stories of the flyweight era. The betting line opened Figueiredo at -250.
The co-main was a turning point for both fighters. Charles Oliveira entered on a seven-fight win streak and was looking to lock in his eventual lightweight title shot in the post-Khabib vacuum. Tony Ferguson was attempting to rebuild after his UFC 249 loss to Justin Gaethje seven months earlier.
Main Event: Figueiredo vs. Moreno 1
The fight was a five-round war. Round one belonged to Figueiredo — the champion landed the heavier shots and scored a takedown to back-mount that he held for the final minute. Round two flipped: Moreno landed a clean left hand that hurt the Brazilian, took his back, and threatened a rear-naked choke for nearly a minute. Round three was Figueiredo's again — a takedown into top side and over three minutes of control time.
Round four was the round of the night. Both men fought to a standstill in the centre of the cage, exchanging combinations, neither giving an inch. Moreno landed a knee from the clinch that opened a cut on Figueiredo's forehead. Figueiredo replied with a left hook that wobbled the challenger. The crowd — of one network broadcast crew — was on its feet. Round five was equally close, with Moreno winning the volume game and Figueiredo landing the heavier moments.
The scorecards: 47-47, 47-47, 48-47 Figueiredo. A majority draw — the rarest of championship results. Figueiredo retained the title, but the close decision meant a rematch was inevitable. He had also been deducted a point in round three for an illegal groin strike, which had transformed two judges' 48-46 cards into 47-47 draws.
In their post-fight interviews, both men embraced. "Brandon is a warrior," Figueiredo said through his translator. Moreno replied: "This is one of the best fights of my life. I want the rematch." He would get it at UFC 263 in June 2021 — winning the title by third-round rear-naked choke and starting one of the more dramatic championship sagas of the early 2020s.
Co-Main Event: Oliveira vs. Ferguson
Charles Oliveira delivered a three-round masterclass. He used his jiu-jitsu to chain takedowns through every frame, landed clean ground-and-pound, and threatened multiple submissions through the second and third rounds. Ferguson — still showing the damage from his Gaethje fight — was unable to keep the fight standing and could not generate his trademark high-volume striking output.
Final scorecards: 30-27, 30-27, 30-26. Oliveira's eighth consecutive UFC win extended one of the longest active streaks in the promotion. He would go on to win the vacant lightweight title against Michael Chandler at UFC 262 in May 2021. Ferguson's second consecutive loss began what would become an eight-fight losing streak — the longest active losing streak in modern UFC.
Full Results
Main Card (Pay-Per-View)
Deiveson Figueiredo (c) vs. Brandon Moreno — Majority Draw (47-47, 47-47, 48-47 Figueiredo) — Flyweight Title
Charles Oliveira def. Tony Ferguson — Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26) — Lightweight
Ciryl Gane def. Junior dos Santos — TKO (elbows) — R2, 2:34 — Heavyweight
Kevin Holland def. Jacare Souza — KO (punches) — R1, 1:45 — Middleweight
Cub Swanson def. Daniel Pineda — Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) — Featherweight
Preliminary Card (ESPN/ESPN+)
Mackenzie Dern def. Virna Jandiroba — Unanimous Decision (29-28 ×3) — Strawweight
Rafael Fiziev def. Renato Moicano — KO (punches) — R1, 2:39 — Lightweight
Tecia Torres def. Sam Hughes — TKO (punches) — R3, 4:29 — Strawweight
Peter Sobotta def. Takashi Sato — Submission (arm-triangle) — R2, 4:36 — Welterweight
Bonuses & Awards
🥊 Fight of the Night: Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno — $50,000 each.
🥇 Performance of the Night: Kevin Holland — $50,000 for the first-round KO of Jacare Souza.
🥇 Performance of the Night: Rafael Fiziev — $50,000 for the first-round KO of Renato Moicano.
Records & Milestones
• Figueiredo's title defense came just 21 days after UFC 255 — the fastest back-to-back championship turnaround for any UFC titleholder in the modern era.
• Majority draw was the rarest result type in UFC championship history — the previous title-fight draw had been Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard II at UFC 125 in January 2011.
• Charles Oliveira's eighth consecutive UFC win — the longest active streak in the lightweight division at the time.
• Tony Ferguson's second consecutive UFC loss — the start of his record eight-fight losing streak.
• Ciryl Gane's heavyweight TKO of Junior dos Santos confirmed his emergence as a top contender — he would receive an interim title shot 14 months later.
Legacy & Impact
UFC 256 is remembered as the moment the flyweight division got its long-term storyline. The Figueiredo-Moreno draw set up a four-fight quartet (UFC 263, UFC 270, UFC 283 — the second, third, and fourth meetings) that would dominate the 125-pound conversation for two years. The 2-2 final ledger remains one of the most contested championship rivalries in any UFC weight class.
For Charles Oliveira, the Ferguson win was the table-setter for everything that followed. He would defeat Michael Chandler for the vacant lightweight title at UFC 262 in May 2021, defend successfully against Dustin Poirier at UFC 269 in December 2021, then lose the title at UFC 274 (May 2022) on the scales — missing weight — before fighting Justin Gaethje for the vacant title (which Oliveira won by first-round submission). He has remained one of the most prolific finishers in lightweight history.
For Tony Ferguson, the loss continued a decline that has not stopped. His record post-UFC 256 stands at 0-8 — the longest active losing streak in modern UFC history. He has stated multiple times that he intends to continue fighting; the UFC has, as of late 2025, continued to book him.
FAQ
Why was the Figueiredo-Moreno fight a draw?
Figueiredo was deducted a point in round three for an illegal groin strike. Two judges had scored the fight 48-46 for Figueiredo before the deduction; the point loss turned both 48-46 cards into 47-47 draws. The third judge had 48-47 for Figueiredo, making the result a majority draw rather than a unanimous one. Without the point deduction, Figueiredo would have retained by unanimous decision.
How did Figueiredo fight three weeks after his last title defense?
He volunteered. After his first-round submission of Alex Perez at UFC 255 on November 21, Figueiredo asked the UFC to book him again before the end of the year. The Moreno fight materialised three weeks later on December 12. The 21-day turnaround was the fastest back-to-back championship defense for any UFC titleholder in the modern era. The pace caught up with him in subsequent fights — he lost the title to Moreno six months later at UFC 263.
Did Figueiredo and Moreno rematch?
Yes — three times. They fought a total of four bouts: the draw at UFC 256, a Moreno submission win at UFC 263 (June 2021), a Figueiredo decision win at UFC 270 (January 2022), and a Moreno TKO win at UFC 283 (January 2023). The final ledger was 2-1-1 in Moreno's favour, but the rivalry produced four of the most-watched flyweight title fights in UFC history.
Was the Oliveira-Ferguson fight a turning point?
For both. Charles Oliveira's eighth consecutive UFC win positioned him as the heir-apparent to Khabib's vacated lightweight title; he won it five months later at UFC 262. Tony Ferguson's second consecutive loss — after the UFC 249 Gaethje destruction — was the beginning of the eight-fight losing streak that became the longest active losing streak in modern UFC history.
Who else was on the UFC 256 main card?
Heavyweight Ciryl Gane TKO'd Junior dos Santos in round two — a result that put Gane in the heavyweight title conversation. Kevin Holland scored a first-round KO of Jacare Souza. Cub Swanson outpointed Daniel Pineda. The card was uncharacteristically deep for a closed-door APEX PPV, with five strong main-card matchups across multiple weight classes.
How does UFC 256 compare to UFC 255?
Both drew approximately 350,000 PPV buys — the lowest two numbers of any 2020 UFC PPV cards. The dropoff from UFC 254 (1.4 million) reflected the absence of a marquee main event in both cards. UFC 256 produced a far more dramatic main event than UFC 255 — the Moreno-Figueiredo draw became the high-water mark of the year's flyweight conversation and one of the better championship five-rounders of the entire COVID era.
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