Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports
It looks like the UFC wants Deiveson Figueiredo and Joseph Benavidez to run it back.
Despite all the hiccups from their first matchup, the UFC really wants either Deiveson Figueiredo or Joseph Benavidez to be the next flyweight champion. According to a report from ESPN, the promotion is going to book the two men in a rematch with the belt on the line again.
Figueierdo and Benavidez met last weekend in the UFC Norfolk headliner, but Figueiredo didn’t make weight so he couldn’t win the title. Benavidez could, but an accidental headbutt quickly led to a knockout win for Figuiredo, and left the belt still vacant.
UFC president Dana White said that the headbutt changed the outcome of the fight and a rematch is warranted:
“I think the head-butt had a lot to do with the knockout, too,” White said. “Not taking anything away from [Figueiredo]. It was a great fight. But I think you have to do that fight again.”
White didn’t name a place and time for the likely rematch, but it seems logical that it would go down in the summer sometime. Benavidez was handed a 90-day medical suspension following the event, but those can be cleared up with a visit to the doctor.