Flyweight title challenger Joseph Benavidez had his 3rd attempt at capturing UFC gold last night, when he squared off with Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC Norfolk.
Due to Figueiredo missing the title weight limit by 2.5lbs on Friday, only Benavidez was eligible to take home the vacant UFC Flyweight world title.
In a bad turn of events for Benavidez and his fans last night’s UFC main event did not go his way. Benavidez was able to get himself out of an early armbar attempt from Figueiredo in the 1st round and even appeared to be turning the tide before getting dropped at the very end of the 2nd round.
At the start of the 2nd round both men came out charging at each other, which ultimately resulted an accidental clash of heads. Not long after the collision, Deiveson Figueiredo was able to find a home for a perfect straight right hand, sending Joseph Benavidez crashing to the canvas. From there, just a single hammer fist was needed to prompt the referee to end the contest and save the fighter from further unnecessary damage. You can get the full results and watch highlights from UFC Norfolk here.
After failing to capture UFC Flyweight gold, a disappointed Joseph Benavidez spoke to Michael Bisping in his post-fight Octagon interview:
“I just feel like this isn’t real right now. But.. It’s like some freaking nightmare. I had a lot of visions talking to you after (the fight) and about a lot of things that were going to happen but they didn’t. I mean sh*t man life is tough. I know everybody is going through ups and downs everywhere. This is mine. It is on display. I’m lucky to be alive I guess,” Benavidez said jokingly. “But, I worked my ass off for that and it didn’t go great. Thank you to all you guys for coming out.”
The loss ended Benavidez’s 3-fight winning streak, who now has a record of 28-6 overall as a professional MMA fighter.
This article first appeared on CLOSEDGUARDMEDIA.com on 1st March, 2020.
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