Gabriel Apolinar Benítez (born June 15, 1988) is a Mexican

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

. He was a contestant on '' The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America 1'', and he competes in the

featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, this ...

division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

(UFC).

Background

Benítez was born in Tijuana, Mexico and started training in mixed martial arts when he was 18 years old.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Benítez started his professional MMA career in 2007, making his debut in his home country Mexico and he amassed a record of 16-4 prior to signing with the UFC.

The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America 1

Benítez was selected as one of the cast members for The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America 1 , UFC

The Ultimate Fighter ''The Ultimate Fighter'' is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Pilgrim Media Group currently airing on ESPN+. It previously aired for fourteen s ...

TV series, under Team

Cain Velasquez Caín Ramirez Velasquez (born July 28, 1982) is an American professional wrestler and retired mixed martial artist, currently appearing for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). He is widely known for his time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, ...

in April 2014. In elimination round, Benítez submitted Diego Rivas via rear-naked choke in round 2. Benítez next faced Leonardo Morales in the semifinals and he lost by unanimous decision.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Benítez made his promotional debut on November 15, 2014 at

UFC 180 ''UFC 180: Werdum vs. Hunt'' was a mixed martial arts event held on November 15, 2014, at Arena Ciudad de México in Mexico City, Mexico. Background The event was the first the organization hosted in Mexico and was so popular that all 21,000 tic ...

against Humberto Brown. He won the first UFC win via guillotine choke in round 3. He next faced

Clay Collard Clay Collard (born March 10, 1993) is an American professional mixed martial artist and boxer. A professional since 2011, he formerly competed for the UFC. He currently competes in the lightweight division of the Professional Fighters League. ...

on June 13, 2015 at

UFC 188 ''UFC 188: Velasquez vs. Werdum'' was a mixed martial arts event held on June 13, 2015, at Arena Ciudad de México in Mexico City, Mexico. Background The event was headlined by a UFC Heavyweight Championship unification bout between then champio ...

. He won via unanimous decision with 30-27 across the board On his third appearance for UFC fight, Benítez took on

Andre Fili Andre Riley Givens (born June 25, 1990) better known by the name Andre Fili is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight division. Fili is of Samoan and Native Hawaiian descent and is currently signed with the Ultimate ...

on November 21, 2015 at UFC Fight Night: Magny vs. Gastelum. He lost the fight via KO in round one. On September 17, 2016, Benítez face

Sam Sicilia Samuel Travis Sicilia (born February 1, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the featherweight division for Bellator MMA. A professional competitor since 2007, Sicilia formerly competed for the UFC, a ...

at UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Johnson. He defeated Sicilia via guillotine choke in round two. Benítez faced

Enrique Barzola Enrique Johnatan Barzola Acosta (born 28 April 1989) is a Peruvian mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division of Bellator MMA. He was the lightweight winner on The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America 2. and he competed in the ...

, the featherweight champion of “ The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America 2, on May 13, 2017 at

UFC 211 ''UFC 211: Miocic vs. dos Santos 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on May 13, 2017, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. Background The event was the fourth that the UFC has host ...

. After three rounds fight, the judges awarded the win to Barzola with 29-28 across the score board. Benítez faced Jason Knight on December 9, 2017 at

UFC Fight Night 123 ''UFC Fight Night: Swanson vs. Ortega'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 123'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on December 9, 2017, at Save Mart Center in Fresno, California. Background ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Benítez faced

Humberto Bandenay Humberto Bandenay (born September 4, 1994) is a Peruvian mixed martial artist (MMA) who is best known for competing in the Featherweight division in the UFC. Mixed martial arts career Early career Bandenay started his professional MMA career i ...

on May 19, 2018 at

UFC Fight Night 129 ''UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Usman'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 129'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on May 19, 2018, at Movistar Arena in Santiago, Chile. Background The even ...

. He won the fight via knockout due to a slam and punches just 39 seconds into the first round. This win earned him the

Performance of the Night UFC Bonus Awards are three separate cash bonuses usually awarded to four fighters after each UFC event, based on internal decisions by UFC management. More/fewer bonuses have been awarded at some events, especially when no knockouts or submissions ...

bonus. Benítez faced

Sodiq Yusuff Sodiq Olamide Yusuff (born May 19, 1993) is a Nigerian–American mixed martial artist who competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in the Featherweight division. As of December 13, 2022, he is #12 in the UFC featherweight rankings. ...

on August 17, 2019 at

UFC 241 ''UFC 241: Cormier vs. Miocic 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on August 17, 2019 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Background A UFC Heavyweight Championship rematch betw ...

. He lost the fight via knockout in round one. Benítez was expected to face Lerone Murphy on March 21, 2020 at UFC Fight Night: Woodley vs. Edwards. Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, the event was eventually postponed. Benítez faced Omar Morales on May 13, 2020 at UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Teixeira. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Benítez was scheduled to face

Justin Jaynes Justin Michael Jaynes (born August 10, 1989) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight and Lightweight divisions. A professional since 2008, he most notably competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He i ...

on November 14, 2020 at UFC Fight Night: Felder vs. dos Anjos. The fight was canceled after Benítez tested positive for COVID-19. The pairing was left intact and eventually took place on December 5, 2020 at

UFC on ESPN 19 ''UFC on ESPN: Hermansson vs. Vettori'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 19'' and ''UFC Vegas 16'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 5, 2020 at the UFC Apex facility in Enter ...

. He won the fight via technical knockout in the first round. This fight earned him the ''

'' award. Benítez was scheduled to face Jonathan Pearce on May 1, 2021 at

UFC on ESPN 23 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. However, weighing in over 4 pounds during weigh-in, the bout was cancelled. Benítez faced

Billy Quarantillo Billy Quarantillo (born December 8, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He was the former King of the Cage Lightweight Champion. Mixed martial arts ...

, replacing

Herbert Burns Herbert Burns (born February 2, 1988) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is the younger brother of fellow UFC fighter, Gilbert Burns. Background Burns w ...

on July 17, 2021 at

UFC on ESPN 26 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. He lost the fight via technical knockout in round three. This win earned him the'' Fight of the Night'' award. Benítez was scheduled to face

T.J. Brown Trenton Joseph "T.J." Brown (born May 22, 1990) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing as a Featherweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Mixed martial arts career Early career Brown made his MMA debut in 2013 at Cage Com ...

on January 15, 2022 at

UFC on ESPN 32 ''UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Chikadze'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 32 '' and ''UFC Vegas 46'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on January 15, 2022 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterpri ...

. Three days before the event, Benítez was forced to pull out and

Charles Rosa Charles Rosa (born August 24, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Charles is of Italian descent and, the son of Chucky and Mar ...

replaced him with the bout now taking place at Lightweight. Benítez faced David Onama on February 19, 2022 at UFC Fight Night: Walker vs. Hill. At weigh-ins, Benítez weighed in at 148 pounds, 2 pounds over the featherweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight and he was fined 30% of his purse. Benítez lost the bout via first round knockout. Benítez faced Charlie Ontiveros on August 13, 2022 at

UFC on ESPN 41 ''UFC on ESPN: Vera vs. Cruz'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 41'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on August 13, 2022, at Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California, United States. Backgr ...

. He won the fight via technical knockout in round one. Benítez was scheduled to face Jim Miller on February 18, 2023, at

UFC Fight Night 219 ''UFC Fight Night: Andrade vs. Blanchfield'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 219'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 77'', and ''UFC Vegas 69'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 18, 2023, at ...

. However, Benítez withdrew due to an undisclosed reason and was replaced by

Alexander Hernandez Alexander Xavier Hernandez (born October 1, 1992) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Hernandez began wrestling at the age of 13 and started t ...

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

(Two times) vs.

and

** Fight of the Night (One time) * Ultimate Warrior Challenge ** Ultimate Warrior Challenge Featherweight Champion (One time) * Xtreme Kombat ** Xtreme Kombat Featherweight Champion (One time) vs. Antonio Ramirez * Xtreme Fighters Latino ** Xtreme Fighters Latino Featherweight Champion (One time) vs. Daniel Salas * Xplode Fight Series ** Xplode Fight Series Featherweight Champion (One time) vs. Ryan Bixler

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 23–10 , Charlie Ontiveros , TKO (punches) , UFC on ESPN: Vera vs. Cruz , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:35 ,

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 22–10 , David Onama , KO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Walker vs. Hill , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:24 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 22–9 ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC on ESPN: Makhachev vs. Moisés , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:40 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 22–8 ,

, TKO (knee to the body and elbows) , UFC on ESPN: Hermansson vs. Vettori , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:06 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 21–8 , Omar Morales , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Teixeira , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...

, United States , , , - , Loss , align=center, 21–7 ,

, TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:14 ,

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 21–6 ,

, KO (slam) , UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Usman , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:39 ,

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

, Chile , , - , Win , align=center, 20–6 , Jason Knight , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Swanson vs. Ortega , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Fresno, California Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, makin ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 19–6 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 19–5 ,

, Technical Submission (guillotine choke) , UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Johnson , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:20 ,

Hidalgo, Texas Hidalgo is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. The population was 11,198 at the 2010 census, and in 2019 the estimated population was 14,183. History The area that is now Hidalgo was first settled by Spanish colonists led by José d ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–5 ,

, KO (head kick and punches) , The Ultimate Fighter Latin America 2 Finale: Magny vs. Gastelum , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:13 ,

Monterrey Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is anchor ...

, Mexico , , - , Win , align=center, 18–4 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

, Mexico , , - , Win , align=center, 17–4 , Humberto Brown , Technical Submission (guillotine choke) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:30 ,

, Mexico , , - , Win , align=center, 16–4 , Angelo Sanchez , Decision (unanimous) , Orthrus Promotions: Triple A MMA 5 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–4 , Rey Trujillo , TKO (punches) , Fresquez Productions: Havoc , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:25 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–4 , Richard Villa , Submission (heel hook) , Jackson's MMA Series 11 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:52 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–3 , Rigo Oropeza , Submission (guillotine choke) , Ultimate Warrior Challenge Mexico 13 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:19 ,