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, incorpo ...

. 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 ...

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

. 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 bonus. Benítez faced Sodiq Yusuff on August 17, 2019 at UFC 241. 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 identified ...

, 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 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 '' Performance of the Night'' award. Benítez was scheduled to face

Jonathan Pearce Jonathan Pearce may refer to: * Jonathan Pearce (commentator) (born 1959), English football commentator * Jonathan Pearce (fighter) Jonathan Mark Pearce (born May 1, 1992) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight divi ...

on May 1, 2021 at UFC on ESPN 23. However, weighing in over 4 pounds during weigh-in, the bout was cancelled. Benítez faced Billy Quarantillo, replacing Herbert Burns 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. 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.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

** Performance of the Night (Two times) vs. Humberto Bandenay and Justin Jaynes ** 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 List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

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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 Vega ...

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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 List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

, United States , , , - , Loss , align=center, 21–7 , Sodiq Yusuff , TKO (punches) , UFC 241 , , 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 ...

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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, who ...

, 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, maki ...

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, Decision (unanimous) , UFC 211 , , 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 wi ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 19–5 , Sam Sicilia , 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 ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–5 , Andre Fili , 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 ancho ...

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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 of ...

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, 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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–4 , Rey Trujillo , TKO (punches) , Fresquez Productions: Havoc , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:25 , Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–4 , Richard Villa , Submission (heel hook) , Jackson's MMA Series 11 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:52 , Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–3 , Rigo Oropeza , Submission (guillotine choke) , Ultimate Warrior Challenge Mexico 13 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:19 ,