BLOOMINGTON, Minn – When you’re operating at the very top of your sport, every fight is important, and for perennial flyweight contender Joseph Benavidez, this weekend’s co-main event clash with Brazilian contender Jussier Formiga could just be the one that leads to the biggest of his career.
“Every fight’s big,” Benavidez told MMA Junkie on Wednesday at UFC on ESPN 3 open workouts. “You’ve heard it a million times. The next fight’s always the biggest, but in this regard it really is. What’s on the line: contender, rematch, division. So many variables go into this.
“What’s waiting at the end? No. 1 contender, rematch with ‘Mr. Triple-C’ Cejudo, (and) have him come back and try to avenge his loss.”
Benavidez is right. His flyweight bout with Formiga is a de-facto title eliminator, with the winner set to stand alone as the clear challenger for Henry Cejudo’s UFC flyweight title. And Benavidez says he’s going into the bout with a healthy amount of respect for a man he faced – and knocked out – six years ago in Formiga.
“I’ve got an amazing opponent in front of me,” Benavidez said. “Ton of respect for that guy (and) how much he’s improved since our last fight. So he’s thinking the same thing I am. We’re going through the same thing, and we have one guy standing in our way. We’re going to meet in the middle and see who deserves it.”
Six years is a long time between a first fight and a rematch and, while Benavidez admitted he thought it was only two years ago, the longtime flyweight contender says he knows he’s unlikely to repeat his emphatic first-round knockout against a man he says has evolved markedly as a fighter since their first meeting.
“I beat him then. I’m gonna beat him now,” Benavidez said. “Obviously I’m gonna focus and look at his techniques and his fights and what he’s accomplished. He has a new team. I think he’s fighting a little more strategic and comfortable with his fighting style. Everyone’s fast, strong, good at jiu-jitsu, good at wrestling, can knock you out. He’s gained experience, I’ve gained experience and it’ll be nice. I expect a hard fight.”
And even though Benavidez finished Formiga in just over three minutes in their first meeting, the American said he knows that repeating that feat may prove a tall order.
“I’d be crazy to think that’s going to happen again to such a top guy, so I’m ready for the hardest 15 minutes there is,” Benavidez said. “(I’m) ready to prove I have a ton of other ways to beat him besides knocking him out and doing what I did last time.”
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