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Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff Writer
Deiveson Figueiredo will make his long-awaited move up to bantamweight before the end of the year.
The former two-time UFC bantamweight champion will face Rob Font in a contender bout at UFC Fight Night on Dec. 2, sources told ESPN on Sunday, confirming a report by MMA Fighting.
Figueiredo was first scheduled to return to flyweight over the summer, but he withdrew due to injury and decided to move up a division.
Also on the Dec. 2 card, veteran Kelvin Gastelum will face the up-and-coming Sean Brady in a significant welterweight bout, sources said.
ESPN has Figueiredo ranked No. 4 in the world at flyweight and Font ranked No. 10 at bantamweight.
Figueiredo (21-3-1) has not fought since losing the flyweight title to Brandon Moreno via TKO last January at UFC 283. The Brazilian fighter went 1-2-1 against Moreno in their tetralogy. Figueiredo, 35, is tied with Demetrious Johnson for the most finishes in UFC flyweight history (7).
Font (20-7) is coming off a unanimous decision loss to top contender Cory Sandhagen on Aug. 5. The 36-year-old Massachusetts native has dropped three of four.
Gastelum (17-8, 1 NC) is coming off a unanimous decision win over Chris Curtis at UFC 287 in April. The 31-year-old Arizona resident is moving back down to welterweight for the first time since 2015 in this bout. Brady (15-1), a 30-year-old Philadelphia native, lost his undefeated record in a TKO loss to top contender Belal Muhammad last October.