VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Joseph Benavidez knows fight week would not have been this quiet had he been facing Henry Cejudo.
The two have history, when they coached fellow flyweights on “The Ultimate Fighter 24,” then squared off right after the airing of the show. Benavidez narrowly edged Cejudo, picking up a split-decision win in 2016.
Their careers would take different directions though, with Cejudo eventually claiming the UFC flyweight belt from Demetrious Johnson, who Benavidez failed to beat on two occasions, then capturing the UFC bantamweight title. By the time Benavidez was back up the flyweight ladder, Cejudo had decided to relinquish that belt.
But Benavidez (28-5 MMA, 15-3 UFC) doesn’t see a whole lot to gain personally in a potential rematch with Cejudo, who he already beat. If anything, not facing him has made the process a lot smoother for Benavidez, he said, considering Cejudo’s antics and their history.
“No, honestly not at all,” Benavidez told reporters, including MMA Junkie, on Thursday. “It’s honestly refreshing. This is like, beautiful. We’re in a quiet place. It’s peaceful, like a quiet town; we’re right by the beach. It’s just low-key. It’s nice. I think it would just be a circus with ‘Triple C,’ and not to mention, I already beat him and fought him, and the goal is to win a title, not to beat a guy you’ve already beat. Like that’s the last thing you want to do, honestly. The only thing that’s appealing is the title, not him. So it’s always been about the title, not fighting him again.
“I think it would be harder if it was ‘DJ’ or something or someone that beat me. It’s like, ‘Ah, I’m never going to beat them, but at least I’m getting the title opportunity.’ I already beat the guy, and it was up to him to not come try and avenge a loss and not put up a fight and do something else, so it’s easy for me when I already have a win over him.”
Instead, Benavidez will be taking on Deiveson Figueiredo (17-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) this Saturday in the UFC on ESPN+ 27 headliner for the vacant UFC flyweight title, where he hopes the third time will be the charm in his pursuit for UFC gold. The event streams live on ESPN+ from Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Va.
