Benavidez vs Askarov Booked For UFC 259

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Flyweight contender, Joseph Benavidez, will look to get back in the win column as he has been booked to face off against Askar Askarov at the upcoming UFC 259 pay-per-view (PPV) event on March 6, 2020.

That’s according to MMA Junkie, who also reported that there is no location set for the event at the moment.

Benavidez has lost his last two — both title fights — to current division champion Deiveson Figueiredo. Prior to that, Benavidez was on quite a roll, winning nine out of 10 setting him for his second, and eventually third, title fight.

Askarov, meanwhile, is undefeated at 12-0-1, going 2-0-1 so far inside the Octagon. During his short stint with UFC, Askarov has earned wins over former top contender, Alexander Pantoja, Tim Elliott and fought to a split draw against current No. 1 contender, Brandon Moreno. A win over Benavidez would be the biggest of his career thus far and catapult him to the top of the rankings.

For Benavidez, taking out Askarov (No. 3) would not only help him stop the bleeding of his losing streak, but put him right back in the championship mix.

Early predictions?