NASVHILLE – As Jussier Formiga stood in front of reporters backstage after a win over fellow contender and countryman Deiveson Figueiredo, he was confident he had earned his chance to finally fight for the UFC’s flyweight title.

“I think it’s my turn, I’m the No. 1 contender,” Formiga said in his native Portuguese, minutes after calling out champ Henry Cejudo (14-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) while still in the octagon.

Formiga (23-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) is not crazy to feel that way. By handing Figueiredo (15-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) his first career loss, in the main card of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 6, Formiga added a fourth consecutive win to a streak that includes finishes of Ulka Sasaki and Ben Nguyen, as well as a decision over Sergio Pettis.

But there’s more to Formiga’s title case than a streak. For years, the 33-year-old has been part of the title conversation. He came close to making it happen on a few separate occasions, but key losses at pivotal times always stood in the way. The bout with Figueiredo, himself riding a four-fight winning streak in the octagon, was yet another big one – and this time Formiga didn’t waste it.

Taking it all into account, we see why Formiga would go into Saturday’s main card match, which streamed on ESPN+ from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, thinking it would be “impossible” not to get the next shot. But then we were reminded why such categoric words can be quite tricky in the UFC.

Later that night, UFC president Dana White would reveal that Formiga won’t be next for champ Cejudo. In fact, no flyweight will be, as the plan is for Cejudo to move up to bantamweight to fight Marlon Moraes for the title left vacant by T.J. Dillashaw last week.

Formiga wasn’t left hanging in this equation, as White’s plan included a rematch between the Brazilian and Joseph Benavidez on the same night of the 135-pound title fight – a clash that would serve both as back-up for the title fight and a No. 1 flyweight contender bout.

It’s unclear whether White had discussed these plans with Formiga and his team by the time he shared them during the post-fight show for UFC on ESPN+ 6. Earlier that night, though, Formiga had shared a slightly different plan when asked whether he’d like to fight for an interim title in case Cejudo ended up fighting at bantamweight.

“I think this thing Cejudo is doing, of fighting at 135, is more for him to make money,” Formiga said. “I think a true champion fights in their division. If he moves up to 135, I want to fight for the (interim) title, against whomever it is. With Benavidez or whomever it is.”

Either way, worst-case scenario, Formiga could just be one fight away from finally getting his stab at UFC gold. In the meantime, he gets to enjoy a win over a tough, previously unbeaten foe.

“I feel very happy with a job well done,” Formiga said. “We did great training, a great camp for this. So I’m very happy I got this win against a top-5.”

To hear from Formiga, with the help of an interpreter, check out the video above.

And for complete coverage of UFC on ESPN+ 6, check out the UFC Events section of the site.