Joseph Benavidez | UFC Betting Sites - The Best MMA Online Bookies

Joseph Benavidez: Focused on Progress, Not a Title Shot

Joseph Benavidez has every intention on staying the course toward another shot at the flyweight title, but he’s more than happy to take each step as it comes. The Team Alpha Male staple and number one contender to the 125-pound division has clearl…

Joseph Benavidez has every intention on staying the course toward another shot at the flyweight title, but he’s more than happy to take each step as it comes.

The Team Alpha Male staple and number one contender to the 125-pound division has clearly carved out his position atop the division. That being said, the Las Cruces native also understands there is only so much about the situation he can control, and Benavidez is content to put his focus on the things his hard work can directly effect and let the process of progress grind on.

Over the weekend at UFC on Fox 7 in San Jose, Benavidez put forth the best showing of his career, dominating highly regarded grappler Darren Uyenoyama. After controlling the striking and dictating the action in the first, Benavidez ended things in the second with a pair of measured, thunderous body shots that left Uyenoyama in a heap on the canvas.

While the victory put the 28-year-old at the front of the title race, Benavidez will not make it the primary focus at this time—and for good reason. The first go around at the flyweight strap consumed his world and he refuses to allow those conditions to materialize again. Nevertheless, Benavidez will stay on track and when that next title opportunity comes front and center, he’ll step into the challenge a better fighter than he was the last time out.

Until then, he’ll enjoy the fruits of what the hard work has afforded him.

“My progress is the only thing I want to control right now and that’s the most important thing to me,” Benavidez told Bleacher Report. “I’m having fun right now and every day I feel lucky and blessed I get to do this for a living. I’m going to continue to have fun with it, be grateful for what I have and make sure I enjoy it. I’m going to continue to work as hard as I can in the gym to make sure I’m getting better.

“I feel like I’m improving and I’m going to make sure what time I do have off, to make sure I enjoy it because I’ve earned it. I make sure to keep that perspective and to realize how lucky I am that this is my life and my lifestyle. To be able to go from such a negative place to seeing so many positive things is huge to me and I see that. I understand how far things have come and that’s why I’m able to put so much into this. That’s what I think about on my time off. And on my time in, I just think about improving.”

Since the unanimous decision loss to Demetrius Johnson at UFC 152 last September, Benavidez has locked his focus on improving his skills inside the cage. While signs of progression showed in his bout against Ian McCall at UFC 156, his skills appeared to be on another level against Uyenoyama last weekend at UFC on Fox 7 in San Jose.

The former title challenger gives full credit to his team of coaches and believes the fight against Uyenoyama was the next step in his road to becoming a more complete mixed martial artist.

“Darren is a good fighter,” Benavidez said. “He had two solid wins in the UFC coming into our fight and I knew he was going to be a tough opponent. But I was definitely on that night and it was probably a good matchup for me. He had one chance and that was to take me down and hold me there, which is probably the hardest thing to do to me.

“I felt good in the fight and it’s probably where I left off in my fight before that with McCall. I was starting to feel super loose and comfortable where it felt like a sparring session in the second and third round with McCall and things felt really good. I think I picked up from there against Darren. I had a major advantage with speed in my stand-up and once I started hitting him, it was just my night.

“I would never take anything away from him because he was the number eight guy in the division, but if I’m the number one contender in the division, that is what I’m supposed to do to the eighth ranked fighter. If I’m at the top of the division and truly deserve to be, that is what was supposed to happen when I fight the guy ranked in the eighth spot.”

While Benavidez has always had a solid wrestling pedigree to rely on, it has been his striking which has made the difference in his past two fights. The stand-up aspect of his skill set is where he’s put the most emphasis in his training and the hard work paid off in impressive fashion against Uyenoyama.

From the opening bell, Benavidez blended his speed and power together in seamless fashion as he battered his opponent around the Octagon. Ultimately it was a crushing body shot that sealed the deal and further proved Benavidez has some of the best power punches in the flyweight division.

“I definitely felt my power was making a difference,” Benavidez described about the fight last Saturday. “The punches that don’t knock you out are the ones you feel the most. The ones that knock you out, you never feel them and they just put you out. But the ones you get hit with that don’t knock you out, those wear on you. They wear on your mind and your confidence. They really start to wear you down. The punches that land start to sting and suck the life right out of you.

“My boxing coach Jimmy Gifford was telling me that as soon as I hit Darren, whether he blocked a kick or an overhand right, he was going to know. And I wanted to make sure he knew the power I was bringing on my feet. It is not even that I was trying to put a ton of power behind every shot, that’s just how I punch.

“I’ve been working under the tutelage of my coaches consistently now on throwing more straight punches,” Benavidez added. “I was hitting him with straight lefts and then mixing in the overhand instead of only coming in with my overhand which I have done in the past. I’m mixing up my kicks from high to low very well and it’s a product of my coaching. I work with Duane [Ludwig] day in and day out and I can obviously see those improvements.

“Those power shots were definitely taking a toll on him and messing with his mind, especially when he’s trying to take me to the ground and he can’t. Those punches suck when you can’t do anything about them. They aren’t putting you out and they are just hurting you every time they land. It breaks you down and I was able to accomplish that in this fight.”

The win in San Jose secured the number one contender spot for Benavidez in the eyes of the MMA community, but getting the next title shot isn’t an issue he’s concerned about pressing at this time. He is confident another opportunity will come, and if that process takes time to play out, then it is his job to continue winning fights and proving his worth in the 125-pound weight class.

Benavidez has learned to avoid an obsession with becoming a champion and put belief in the fact he will achieve his goals through the rigors of hard work. While earning a big victory often times can sweep a fighter up in the moment, Benavidez is a difficult man to move in that regard. He’ll take things as they come and in the meantime, continue to invest in the process of becoming the best fighter he can possibly be.

“As far as being in a rush for title shot, that hasn’t changed since my last fight,” Benavidez said. “After my title fight and putting so much emphasis on the end goal of winning the belt, I’ve been focused on switching up since then. Obviously becoming champion is always going to be my goal and something I want to accomplish, but I can’t control being the champion and winning and losing. You can’t control the result. All you can really control is the preparation, getting there and all the hard work you are going to put into the fight. You have to go out there and fight as hard as you can. You have to go out there and work as hard as you can and do the right things. Then you go out there and perform and either it’s good enough or it’s not. But you can’t control the result and make it good enough, you can only do everything you can to try to reach that result.

“My goal is to win the title but I can’t allow myself to think about it and want it so much because that is what messed me up in the last title fight. The biggest lesson I learned in that experience is that this isn’t life or death. I almost wanted it too bad. I had to wait so long in between my fight and the title fight because Demetrius [Johnson] and McCall and to fight again. It just wore on me. By the time I got in there all I had thought about was the result and I didn’t really fight as good as I could have.

“I didn’t have fun with it because I felt it was life or death. I can’t really have fun and be loose when I’m fighting like that. I lost and I didn’t die. I still had my health, family and people who loved me. It was fine and I learned a valuable lesson from that experience. My outlook now is that the title shot is going to come, but until then I’m going to do everything I can to keep getting better and be prepared when the opportunity arises.

“I’m ready for whenever it comes,” Benavidez added. “I’m not worried about it because I need to be ready for whenever I get in there and I can only get better until then. If they want me to fight another fight; I take that as an opportunity for me to get better. Honestly, if they want me to fight another guy and I lose, then I don’t really deserve to get the title shot anyway. That’s how I see it.

“Being the champion is still my goal but until that situation comes, I’m working as hard as I can to improve my skills and be a better fighter.”

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Matt Brown and Team Alpha Male: Real Improvement?

UFC on Fox 7 provided a great night of entertainment from top to bottom and reportedly tied the record for most knockouts on a single UFC card. Looking through there were many moments from the main card that deserve talking about – from the closely fought title bout, to Josh Thompson’s knockout of Nate Diaz, to Daniel Cormier‘s dirty boxing clinic – but also a few from the undercard which deserve a look.

This piece will focus on the successes of the Team Alpha Male fighters and of Matt ‘The Immortal’ Brown.

My second piece on UFC on Fox 7 can be found here: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1613106-ufc-on-fox-7-breakdown-the-wheels-fall-off-the-diaz-wagon

Team Alpha Male – 3 Fights, 3 Knockouts

The talk of the early event was the improvement of the Team Alpha Male fighters under the striking tutelage of Duane ‘Bang’ Ludwig. While each of the Team Alpha Male fighters on the card put on a show, I feel it might be a little premature to declare huge improvement in each. Jabs were still almost completely absent in the TAM fighters and they mostly opted instead to swing right hands over and over as their figurehead, Urijah Faber, does to the point of being predictable.

T.J. Dillashaw looked largely disciplined as he caught his lingering opponent with the type of right straight counter which Ludwig has practiced and stressed throughout his career (not to mention picking up the fastest knockout in UFC history with).

Joseph Benavidez, meanwhile, walked Darren Uyenoyama down, swinging wild with slapping rights and lefts but punctuating his performance with sharp kicks. Benavidez‘s boxing looked somewhat sloppy as he ran in behind his face with his hands low over and over again, but through switching stances he was able to confuse Uyenoyama and eventually land a good left hook to the body which slumped Darren to the mat. Benavidez has far more strike variety than Faber or Mendes, but his lunging in behind his face could get him into trouble against elite fighters.

Ultimately both Dillashaw and Benavidez benefited enormously from the inexperience of their opponents on their feet but put forth entertaining performances over decent fighters.

Chad Mendes gave by far the most intimidating showing as he came out and used the traditional Team Alpha Male strategy of eschewing straight punches in favor of looking to land a right hook from wherever he could.

Whether it be off a parried jab, a slip or immediately after a first right hook. Mendes was able to stun his opponent by running forward with a right straight to right hook, and finished by slipping inside a desperate jab and landing a perfect cross counter.

Those of you who have read my pieces before will know how highly I rate the cross counter as a strike – and it’s long history of knockouts will certainly testify to that belief.

While the complete absence of jabs from most performances by TAM fighters is actually a sensible move – they are wrestlers who are looking to close the distance after all, not strikers looking to maintain the distance – it is really the absence of much left handed offense at all which lets the TAM fighters down. It is simply so predictable at the highest level what they are going to do, and this is largely responsible for Urijah Faber’s getting ground down and shown up at range in all of his recent title fights.

Matt Brown Continues his Career Resurgence

I want to get it out of the way before I begin – Matt Brown is not a hugely technically-gifted fighter and at this stage in his career I am sure that the holes in his game are going to be slower or almost impossible to tighten up – but ‘The Immortal’ has a gift for violence which has to be respected.

Some men can be taught to throw fundamental strikes with all the snap and venom of a great puncher, but they still have to be told what to do when they are getting in the cage. Brown is very good at simply making it up as he goes along.

The first thing that deserves praise from that bout is Jordan Mein‘s hand trap elbow. A lovely technique, Brown actually used this same method to eliminate Mike Swick‘s highly regarded hands and stun him with an elbow.

What Brown did so well was something which Nate Diaz utterly failed to do in his bout with Josh Thompson later in the card – cut off the cage and punish the opponent when he tried to escape.

It is not enough to go straight at someone when their back is on the fence in MMA – they can circle out, they can tie you up or they can take you down. Far better to give them just enough space that they can’t move back but feel the need to run out to the side.

Matt Brown showed excellent fight IQ by refusing to stall against the fence but instead letting Mein pick his poison. As Mein ran out to Brown’s left he was met by a left hook (the same one that knocked out the running Mike Swick), and as he went to Brown’s right Mein was met by a right hand or a right roundhouse kick.

It may seem basic but getting an opponent to run on to your strikes is one of the most important principles of an offensive striking game, and Matt Brown has shown it better than many of the best strikers in MMA have been able to when they are giving chase.

A final, beautiful facet of Brown’s performance was his finish. As his opponent was turtled, Brown popped up to his feet (it is becoming much more common to attack the turtle from standing with knees) but as Mein shielded his sides, Brown instead connected a brutal elbow strike to the temple. Brown followed up with elbows to the back of the ribs and kidneys to finish.

Reviewing that fight I hope you will understand what I meant by Brown having a gift for creativity in his violence. There are far, far better strikers and fighters out there who wouldn’t be as savvy or ruthless in their finish as Brown was.

Jack Slack breaks down over 70 striking tactics employed by 20 elite strikers in his first ebook, Advanced Striking, and discusses the fundamentals of strategy in his new ebook, Elementary Striking.

Jack can be found on Twitter, Facebook and at his blog: Fights Gone By.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Benavidez Willing to Take the Long Road to Another Shot at the Flyweight Title

On the heels of his victory over Ian McCall at UFC 156, Joseph Benavidez could have easily made the case to get a rematch with flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson. But rather than step back into the Octagon with “Mighty Mouse” in quick fashion, the T…

Make no mistake about it: UFC gold is the ultimate goal for Benavidez. But having learned from past experiences, the Las Cruces native understands that rushing into opportunities may not always be the best course of action.

It wasn’t all that long ago when Benavidez was ranked as one of the top bantamweight fighters in the world. While competing under the now-defunct WEC banner, the 28-year-old had battled his way to the top of the ladder in the 135-pound weight class. But after coming out on the losing end of a No. 1 contender’s bout with Dominick Cruz and then being edged out in a split-decision loss when he contested “The Dominator’s” title a year later, Benavidez suddenly found himself in a strange position.

Despite Benavidez being one of the top 135-pound fighters under the Zuffa banner, having two losses to the current champion put him in a limbo of sorts. Even after racking up three consecutive victories over solid competition in Wagnney Fabiano, Ian Loveland and Eddie Wineland, Benavidez was nowhere to be found on the title radar.

Ultimately, his fortunes would change when the UFC made the decision late in 2011 to implement a flyweight division in the coming year. The new weight class gave the once undersized Benavidez the chance to compete at a weight better suited for his frame and a chance for the Sacramento-based fighter to re-ignite his dream of becoming a UFC champion.

Unfortunately, Benavidez would fall short of his goal of becoming the organization’s first flyweight titleholder, but he believes the setback is temporary. While Johnson may have earned the nod in their first encounter at UFC 152, Benavidez is confident the 125-pound title will one day be his.

That being said, where his ambition once drove him to jump back into a title shot impulsively, this time around, Benavidez is willing to take a few extra steps to ensure the next time he competes for the UFC title, he will be able to take full advantage of the opportunity.

The first of which will come against Darren Uyenoyama at UFC on Fox 7, and Benavidez is excited to get back to work in quick fashion.

“I was just being practical with my decision-making and looking at what was best for me,” Benavidez told Bleacher Report in an exclusive interview. “I feel I’m getting better with every fight, and the more fights I can get in before stepping in for another title shot is all the better for me. I have no doubt I’ll get there again, but I kind of learned from the situation I was in at 135 pounds.

“I fought Dominick Cruz and lost, then he became champion. I only fought two times in between my rematch with Cruz. Yeah, they were two great performances where I was aggressive, but I didn’t have a ton of time in between, and I took another fight against Cruz for the title. And I was in limbo after that. I could have certainly gotten better during that time. But I jumped back into it.

“Now the situation with D.J., it would have been a five- or six month turnaround between fights. I just want to get better, and I think it’s great for the 125-pound division to develop a little more. It’s great and I’m honored that I probably could have gotten another title shot. That’s awesome but I wanted more time.

“It’s good for the division that they matched D.J. up with John Moraga because that’s another name people are going to be forced to know,” Benavidez added. “Plus, it allows me to go out there and fight someone else. I feel it can only help the division to get these other names out there. Like I said, I believe I’m going to fight for the title again, but I wanted to get better.

“It was too quick of a turnaround. If they would have made me do it, of course, I would have done everything in my power to go out there and get the job done. But I thought the smarter thing to do would be to take a little more time, improve my skills and let everything play itself out.”

The matchup with Uyenoyama will come 10 weeks after Benavidez’s most recent showing against Ian McCall at UFC 156 on Super Bowl weekend. While it is undoubtedly a quick turnaround, Benavidez believes he is making up for time he has lost over the past two years.

“I’m just trying to be active,” Benavidez said. “I’m still getting real comfortable in the flyweight division. I’ve gone five rounds with Mighty Mouse, which helped in the last fight with [Ian] McCall. But the more time I can get in the cage, the better. I feel I improve with every fight. The more fights I can get before I get another shot at the title is great.

“In both of the last two years, I only got to fight twice in each year. I like to fight at least three times a year and four would be great. I’m just trying to make up for that. I had a big break in between my fight with [Yasuhiro] Urushitani and my title fight against Johnson, and an even bigger break between my last bantamweight fight and waiting for the flyweight tournament to start.

“I train every day anyway, and I’m going to be fighting in the gym against animals like Urijah Faber, T.J. Dillashaw, Chad Mendes, Danny Castillo and Lance Palmer. I’m going to be training hard against those guys so why not beat somebody up and get paid for it?”

With the flyweight division entering its second year under the UFC banner, fans are still adjusting to the new faces in the weight class. Whereas veterans like Benavidez, Johnson, and McCall have established names in the fight game, a new batch of future contenders are looking to establish themselves with the organization’s fanbase.

While Uyenoyama may not have the biggest name in the division, Benavidez is fully aware of the dangers his opponent presents. He is expecting the 33-year-old California native to come out aggressive, and he can’t wait to mix it up with the former Strikeforce veteran.

“Darren is someone I’ve been looking at for a while,” Benavidez said. “I knew once he dropped down to 125 pounds it wouldn’t be long before he was a contender. All it was going to take was a big fight against a guy with a name and it just so happens that guy is me. I think it is going to be an awesome fight.

“He has a good win over Kid Yamamoto and got a finish in his first fight at flyweight and looked good doing it. He’s mainly a jiu-jitsu guy, but I think the thing that separates him from most jiu-jitsu guys is that he can also wrestle. He also has some great striking and is super aggressive. He’s going to go out there and try to bring it. This is a big opportunity for him, but I’m looking at it as a big opportunity for me as well. I’m going out there to make a statement and I’m just going to keep going. I’m having fun with these fights.

“One thing I’ve realized, especially since the title fight, is that it’s not life or death out there,” Benavidez added. “This is just what I do and I need to go out there and have fun. I kind of thought like that up to every fight in my career and treated it like it was just another day. But with the title fight, I treated it like it was life or death and didn’t go out there and perform as good as I could have. I needed to go back to my old way of thinking and I’ve done that. I’m having fun and realizing I can’t control the result. I need to go out there and have a great time. With Darren, I have a great opponent to do that against and I’m going to go out there to have fun.

“Whether it is for the title or not, a fight is always important. If I can’t beat one of the lesser known guys, then I don’t deserve to be fighting for the flyweight title. This is just going to make me better for the next time I get there and I have every intention to get there again.”

The bout with Uyenoyama will mark the fourth appearance for Benavidez at 125 pounds, and it is a process the former bantamweight contender is still getting used to. After competing for the majority of his career in the 135-pound weight class, Benavidez is beginning to see the advantages of competing against opponents who are closer to his size.

In addition to the physical differences, Benavidez is seeing his skill set reach its full potential in his new weight class. Where he once had to make adjustments to compete with larger opponents, at 125 pounds Benavidez can utilize his versatile arsenal to the fullest extent.

“Everything is going good as far as the physical things, but it is really just a luxury to fight guys my own size and not having to compromise my style because of the size difference,” Benavidez said. “I’m a pretty powerful guy, but just because I can hit hard, at 135 pounds I didn’t necessarily want to stand in front of a guy like Eddie Wineland and trade punches.

“A lot of the bigger guys I fought I had to compromise my style and get in and out as quickly as possible. I need to be putting pressure on people and getting on top of my opponents. It was a lot harder for me to take people down at 135 pounds and probably easier for them to take me down. But fighting at flyweight, I don’t have to compromise my fighting style to make up for size.

“I can use my speed, power, striking and technique to its fullest advantage because I’m going against guys my size. When I was fighting bigger guys, all those skills I work at on an everyday basis could never reach their full potential because I couldn’t use them the way I wanted to. Now I can fight the way I need to fight and I love it.”

Benavidez’s dreams of becoming a UFC champion remain as highly charged as they’ve ever been. The biggest difference this time around is his ability to allow his ambition to yield to the process needed to carry it out. The ultimate goal is to replace the framed picture of a UFC championship belt on his mantel with the official 12 pounds of gold that comes with being the best fighter in his division.

While Benavidez has chosen to take the longer road back to a title opportunity, he believes the hard work he puts in along the way will only make him that much more prepared when the moment to compete for the flyweight strap arrives.

Until then, he will continue to put on exciting fights and showcase the high-paced action that has become a trademark of the flyweight division.

“I’m going to take chances and bringing high activity,” Benavidez said. “I’m always going out there to finish someone. Whether it’s throwing a home run punch or jumping to my back to lock up a guillotine; I’m going to go for the finish. I am always going to bring excitement and people can count on me going 100 percent every time I step into that cage.

“I have an awesome opponent in Darren and it’s going to be great to fight in California again. I have teammates on the card and it’s an inspiration being able to fight with some of the guys who are on the card. Ben Henderson and Gilbert Melendez are two of my favorite fighters to watch, and every time I fight on a card with guys like that it is inspiring. I get to see how good those guys are and they set the bar. You get to see what is possible and what the best fighters in the world look like.

“It inspires me to go out there and want to be put in the same category as they are in. People can expect to see another exciting fight from me because I go out there and put my balls on the line every time. It’s going to be a good fight.”

Duane Finley is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Booking Roundup: UFC 162 Adds Munoz vs. Boetsch, Benavidez, Maldonado, Tibau, & Stout Get Next Opponents

(Using so-phisticated technology, Jurassic Park scientists were able to extract the preserved blood from Munoz’s bone spurs and BINGO! Dino DNA. Photo via Munoz’s Twitter.)

Fact: Chris Weidman hits so hard that his victims often fail to quantify the force of his punches until weeks and sometimes months after they’ve been hit. Just ask middleweight contender Mark Munoz, who received such a vicious beating at the hands of Weidman last July that his bones began to disintegrate over the course of the year in an attempt to deal with the shock. Hell, even Weidman’s body cracked under the pressure of possessing two pipe bombs for hands. So it’s quite fitting that, almost a year to the day after their clash at UFC on FUEL 4, both Weidman and Munoz have been booked to return to action at UFC 162.

While Weidman is already scheduled to face off against Anderson Silva for the middleweight title in the evening’s main event, Munoz will taking on the man Weidman was expected to face at UFC 155, Tim Boetsch.

If you recall, Weidman’s teammate, Costa Phillipou, quickly stepped in as a replacement against Boetsch at UFC 155 and managed to successfully cut “The Barbarian’s” title hopes right out from under him with a series of eye pokes and headbutts that were eventually declared a third round TKO. Prior to the loss, Boetsch had racked up 4 straight wins in the middleweight division over the likes of Hector Lombard and Yushin Okami among others. Will ring rust play a factor in Munoz’s return to the octagon, or will Boetsch launch himself right back into the short list of contenders at middleweight with a win here?

Munoz vs. Boetsch is just one of several exciting matchups to be announced within the past few hours, so join us after the jump to check out the chronologically-sorted list.

(Using so-phisticated technology, Jurassic Park scientists were able to extract the preserved blood from Munoz’s bone spurs and BINGO! Dino DNA. Photo via Munoz’s Twitter.)

Munoz vs. Boetsch is just one of several exciting matchups to be announced within the past few hours, so join us after the jump to check out the chronologically-sorted list.

UFC on FOX 7 – April 20th

Joseph Benavidez vs. Darren Uyenoyama: The former flyweight title challenger in Benavidez is on the heels of a unanimous decision victory over Ian McCall at UFC 156. Uyenoyama, on the other hand, recently made the drop to flyweight following a successful bantamweight debut victory over Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto at the inaugural UFC on FOX card. The grappling specialist looked more dangerous than ever at 125 lbs, successfully choking out Phil Harris in the second round of their scrap at UFC on FX: Browne vs. Bigfoot.

Also booked for this event: TUF Brazil’s Hugo Viana vs. KO artist Francisco Rivera.

UFC 159 – April 27th

Johnny Bedford vs. Erik Perez: Despite getting viciously knocked out of the TUF 14 tournament by eventual bantamweight winner John Dodson, Bedford has been killing it ever since entering the deep waters of the UFC’s bantamweight division. The hard-hitting Ohioan cruised past Louis Gaudinot en route to a third round TKO at the TUF 14 Finale before absolutely blistering Marcos Vinicius at the TUF 16 Finale last December. Bedford will have his hands full when he takes on fellow slugger Erik Perez, who has finished all three of his opponents since entering the organization in June of 2012. Here’s a video of his 17-second blitzkrieging of WEC veteran Ken Stone in case you are still questioning how this fight will end.

UFC on FX 8 – May 18th

Fabio Maldonado vs. Roger Hollett: Although he was nothing short of savaged in his last fight against Glover Teixeira at UFC 153, Fabio Maldonado gained the respect of fans worldwide for his unbreakable chin and unquestionable heart in the face of defeat — he even received a “Thanks for losing years off your life” bonus check from the UFC for that performance. Although he has dropped his past three fights, Maldonado is set to take on Bellator vet Roger Hollett at the Rockhold vs. Belfort-headlined UFC on FX 8. It’s likely a do-or-die fight for either man but especially for Hollett, who completely dropped the ball in his UFC debut against Matt Hamill at UFC 152.

Also booked for this event: Gleison Tibau vs. John Cholish.

UFC 161 – June 15

Sam Stout vs. Isaac Vallie-Flaag: Following a successful promotional debut victory over Yves Edwards at UFC 156, the relatively unknown Vallie-Flaag will be given a very similar test for his sophomore appearance when he faces 15-fight UFC veteran Sam Stout. After getting out-jogged by John Makdessi at UFC 154 (at least according to Stout), “Hands of Stone” rebounded with a unanimous decision victory over Caros Fodor at UFC 157 last month.

Also booked for this event: Sean Pierson vs. TJ Waldburger.

Predictions, please.

–J. Jones

Joseph Benavidez Will Return Against Darren Uyenoyama at UFC on FOX 7

Joseph Benavidez isn’t getting another title shot as he likely hoped following his decision nod over Ian McCall at UFC 156. Rather, he’ll meet the crafty Darren Uyenoyama at UFC on FOX 7.Benavidez will carry a 4-1 promotional record into th…

Joseph Benavidez isn’t getting another title shot as he likely hoped following his decision nod over Ian McCall at UFC 156. Rather, he’ll meet the crafty Darren Uyenoyama at UFC on FOX 7.

Benavidez will carry a 4-1 promotional record into the Octagon on April 20. His lone defeat came in a failed title bid with current flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson at UFC 152. It’s a loss he’s itching to avenge, and a win over Uyenoyama might align another title shot for the Team Alpha Male standout.

Uyenoyama is still undefeated while competing under the Zuffa-owned UFC banner. He upset the former top-ranked Norifumi Yamamoto at UFC on FOX 1 and followed that up with a second-round submission of Phil Harris at UFC on FX 5.

A win won’t likely ensure any title talk for Uyenoyama, but Benavidez is sure to be back in the mix should he secure a convincing victory.

UFC on FOX 7 is headlined by a lightweight championship fight between promotional ace Benson Henderson and the highly touted Strikeforce champ, Gilbert Melendez. The HP Pavilion in San Jose, California will host the event.

Follow me on Twitter.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC News: Demetrious Johnson Defends Title Against John Moraga at ‘TUF’ Finale

Add UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson to the list of title holders that like to stay active. After winning his first title defense against John Dodson at UFC on FOX 6 last month, “Mighty Mouse” already has his next opponent lined up: John …

Add UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson to the list of title holders that like to stay active.

After winning his first title defense against John Dodson at UFC on FOX 6 last month, “Mighty Mouse” already has his next opponent lined up: John Moraga.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal was the first media outlet to report the news.

Barring any setbacks, the April 13 event marks the first time a title will be on the line for an “Ultimate Fighter” finale, as the finals of the tournament typically headline the events.

The under-the-radar Moraga is a former Division I wrestler for Arizona State University and boasts a 13-1 record as a professional mixed martial artist, coincidentally having his only loss coming to Dodson back in Dec. 2010 on the regional scene.

Since then, Moraga has won seven straight (including five finishes) and is 2-0 (both finishes) inside the Octagon.

Moraga most recently won “Submission of the Night” honors when he tapped out Chris Cariaso with a guillotine choke at UFC 155 in December.

Johnson, the UFC’s first flyweight title holder, is 3-0-1 since moving down from bantamweight, winning the vacant championship gold in a bout against Team Alpha Male veteran Joseph Benavidez at UFC 152 in September.

This fight would also be the fifth time Johnson steps inside the cage in just over a 13-month time frame.

Other bouts announced for the card today include the second women’s fight in UFC history, where former Strikeforce champ Miesha Tate takes on Cat Zingano (as tweeted by UFC Brazil), while at he heavyweight, Gabriel Gonzaga faces a stiff test against Travis Browne (via Dana White).

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com