Even the flyweights are scoring knockouts in Minneapolis tonight as Benavidez puts a stamp on his #1 contender status.
Joseph Benavidez survived some early trouble and a badly positioned cut near his eye to earn a huge win over Jussier Formiga at UFC on ESPN 3: Ngannou vs. dos Santos in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The finish came at 4:46 of round two and started with a big head kick that hurt Formiga badly. From there Benavidez moved in for the kill and dropped him with a series of back and forth overhands.
You can watch the finish here care of the UFC and ESPN.
The Dapper Scrapper!
Emphasis on SCRAPPER tonight! #UFCMinneapolis pic.twitter.com/AadPkCdBpF
— UFC (@ufc) June 30, 2019
“He knows I’m the hardest one out there… That’s the fight to make.”@JoeJitsu wants the champ! #UFCMinneapolis pic.twitter.com/uqQevGiOET
— UFC (@ufc) June 30, 2019
The win is the second in a row for Joseph Benavidez, but that didn’t stop him from calling out champ Henry Cejudo for a flyweight title shot. And before a split decision loss to Sergio Pettis he went on a six win tear. He also just happens to hold a win over Cejudo. So if the Olympic gold medalist turned UFC double champ was healthy and defending his flyweight title next, it’d be a no-brainer. But as it stands he’s recovering from surgery and eying big names at bantamweight.