Deiveson Figueiredo turns dream Thailand trip into full UFC 332 camp

Former UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo has turned a dream vacation into a full training camp for his UFC 332 bantamweight bout against Payton Talbott on October 3 in Salt Lake City.

Figueiredo initially traveled to Thailand for a month-long personal training trip to sharpen his muay thai skills and experience the country, which had been a longtime goal of his. When the UFC presented him with the opportunity to fight Talbott, he made the decision to convert the entire stay into his official fight camp.

The Brazilian worked with Phuket Fight Club head coach Leo Elias to develop his striking volume and also benefited from grappling instruction with wrestlers from Chechnya, Dagestan, and Uzbekistan who were training at the facility. "Elias is everything people say he is," Figueiredo said. "We worked a lot on striking volume. I also got a lot of help from fighters from Chechnya, Dagestan and Uzbekistan when it came to grappling. I was able to learn a lot from them."

Figueiredo (fighting as a bantamweight after recent losses at flyweight) has struggled recently, suffering four defeats in his last five fights. However, he expressed confidence in his preparation under the Thai sun. "I always look to mix things up. What I can say is that I'm ready to neutralize Talbot's game, wherever the fight takes place," he told Sherdog. The combination of elite striking coaching and grappling refinement suggests Figueiredo is attempting to rebuild his career by diversifying his skill set ahead of a critical showdown.